Shloka 116
The Episode of Vena: Purification, the ‘Vāsudevābhidhā’ Hymn, and the Dharma of Charity
Times, Tīrthas, Worthy Recipients
अतिकृष्णं महाराज कपिलं परिवर्जयेत् । कर्कटाक्षं सुनीलं च श्यावदन्तं विवर्जयेत्
atikṛṣṇaṃ mahārāja kapilaṃ parivarjayet | karkaṭākṣaṃ sunīlaṃ ca śyāvadantaṃ vivarjayet
మహారాజా, అతిగా నల్లవాడిని, కపిలవర్ణుడిని వర్జించాలి; కర్కటాక్షుడు, అతి నీలవర్ణుడు, శ్యావదంతుడు (నల్ల దంతాలు గలవాడు)నూ విడిచిపెట్టాలి।
Unspecified narrator addressing a king (mahārāja); likely within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma frame typical of the Padma Purāṇa
Concept: Dāna and ritual acts require discernment regarding the recipient’s suitability; external markers are treated as signs within a purity-coded social ethic.
Application: Before giving in a religious context, verify integrity and appropriateness of the recipient and the purpose; prioritize character and dharmic conduct over impulse.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A courtly dharma-assembly where a learned narrator instructs a seated mahārāja, while scribes record rules of proper giving. In the background, symbolic figures representing ‘unfit recipients’ appear as shadowy silhouettes—crab-like eyes, darkened teeth—kept outside the sanctified circle to emphasize discernment.","primary_figures":["Mahārāja (king)","Dharma-upadeśaka narrator/sage","Court scribes","Attendant brāhmaṇas"],"setting":"Royal sabhā with a small altar for dāna, palm-leaf manuscripts, and a boundary line marking ritual space","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["burnished gold","deep maroon","sandalwood beige","indigo","smoke gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a South Indian royal court scene of dharma-upadeśa—sage-like narrator gesturing toward a palm-leaf manuscript while the mahārāja listens on a jeweled throne; gold leaf halos, rich maroons and emerald greens, gem-studded ornaments, ornate pillars, a small dāna-altar with brass lamps; symbolic shadow-figures outside the sanctified boundary representing unfit recipients (crab-like eyes, darkened teeth) rendered subtly, with heavy gold embellishment and traditional iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: an intimate hillside-court pavilion with delicate linework; the narrator-sage instructs the king beside a low manuscript stand; cool indigo and soft ochres, lyrical naturalism, refined faces; outside the pavilion, faint silhouettes of disqualified figures near a garden wall; fine textile patterns, minimal gold, airy composition.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and flat natural pigments; the king and narrator in frontal three-quarter poses with characteristic large eyes; a brass nilavilakku lamp, palm-leaf texts, and a ritual boundary line; background bands of red, yellow, and green; disqualified figures suggested as dark contour-forms beyond the boundary, emphasizing purity and separation.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a devotional-dharma tableau framed by intricate floral borders and lotus motifs; central court scene with the king receiving instruction; deep blue background with gold detailing; peacocks and stylized vines in the margins; the ‘unfit recipients’ shown as small peripheral vignettes outside a circular sanctum motif, rendered in muted tones to contrast the sanctified center."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"authoritative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["temple bells","low court murmurs","palm-leaf rustle","conch shell (distant)","silence between injunctions"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अतिकृष्णम् (अति-पूर्वक कर्मधारय); कर्कटाक्षम् (बहुव्रीहि); सुनीलम् (सु-पूर्वक कर्मधारय); श्यावदन्तम् (बहुव्रीहि)
FAQs
It lists physical traits that should be avoided when selecting an animal (or similar subject) in a normative, dharma-style guideline.
They describe unfavorable bodily signs: karkaṭākṣa indicates abnormal/protruding “crab-like” eyes, and śyāvadanta indicates darkened or blackened teeth.
In Purāṇic advisory passages, such lists reflect the broader principle of prudent selection—avoiding signs considered inauspicious or indicative of poor health/quality in the chosen subject.