Shloka 59
Determination of the Householder’s Dharma
Dāna: Types, Recipients, Timing, and Fruits
सर्वस्वमपहृत्यैनं राजा राष्ट्रात्प्रवासयेत् । यस्तु दुर्भिक्षवेलायामन्नाद्यं न प्रयच्छति
sarvasvamapahṛtyainaṃ rājā rāṣṭrātpravāsayet | yastu durbhikṣavelāyāmannādyaṃ na prayacchati
பஞ்சகாலத்தில் உணவும் பிற தேவைகளும் வழங்காதவனின் சொத்தனைத்தையும் பறிமுதல் செய்து, அரசன் அவனை நாட்டிலிருந்து நாடுகடத்த வேண்டும்.
Unspecified (narrative/legal injunction within the Svarga-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: In famine, refusal to give food/necessities warrants confiscation and exile; the king must enforce compassionate justice to prevent societal collapse.
Application: During crises, prioritize food security and mutual aid; institutions should deter hoarding and ensure equitable distribution; individuals should practice emergency charity.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A parched landscape under a harsh sky: villagers with empty pots gather at the palace gate. The king, stern yet compassionate, orders confiscation of a hoarder’s granary; guards carry sacks of grain toward a public distribution line, while the guilty man is led toward exile beyond the city walls.","primary_figures":["righteous king","guards/officials","famine-stricken villagers","hoarder being punished"],"setting":"City gate and palace courtyard opening to drought-struck fields; public grain distribution area with scales and baskets.","lighting_mood":"harsh noon turning to hopeful evening","color_palette":["dust ochre","sun-bleached beige","iron gray","grain gold","indigo dusk"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: king on a throne with gold-leaf crown and ornaments, commanding officials to redistribute grain; villagers in supplication; granary doors opened with gold-leaf grain spilling symbolically; rich reds/greens for royal elements, moral tableau with ornate border.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: narrative procession—guards carrying grain sacks, villagers lined with bowls, the hoarder escorted out; delicate architecture, expressive but restrained faces; dry hills and sparse trees indicating famine.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines—king in authoritative stance, villagers with pleading gestures, grain baskets stylized; warm reds/yellows with green accents; city wall and gate rendered in mural geometry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: community annadāna scene framed by floral borders; include symbolic Viṣṇu aura above the distribution as ‘anna-dātā’; cows and peacocks at margins; deep blue and gold with intricate textile patterns."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["crowd murmur","grain pouring","drum of royal decree","dry wind"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अपहृत्यैनम् = अपहृत्य + एनम् (अ + ए → ऐ). राष्ट्रात्प्रवासयेत् = राष्ट्रात् + प्रवासयेत् (त् + प्). दुर्भिक्षवेलायामन्नाद्यम् = दुर्भिक्षवेलायाम् + अन्नाद्यम् (म् + अ).
FAQs
It stresses a social and moral obligation to provide food and necessities during famine, treating refusal as a serious breach of dharma.
It presents the king as an enforcer of public welfare and dharma, empowered to punish harmful neglect—here, by confiscation and banishment.
It frames charity—especially feeding others in crisis—not as optional generosity but as a binding duty whose violation warrants strong consequences.