Shloka 128
Rāma’s Meeting with Agastya: Gift-Ethics (Dāna) and the Tale of King Śveta
कृता मतिस्तारणाय न लोभाद्रघुनंदन । गृहीते भूषणे राम मम हस्तगते तदा
kṛtā matistāraṇāya na lobhādraghunaṃdana | gṛhīte bhūṣaṇe rāma mama hastagate tadā
ఓ రఘునందనా, నా సంకల్పం ఉద్ధరించడమే కానీ లోభం కాదు. ఓ రామా, అప్పుడు ఆ ఆభరణం నా చేతికి చిక్కింది.
Unspecified (a narrator/character addressing Rāma as ‘Raghunandana’)
Concept: Intention (saṅkalpa) distinguishes dharmic rescue from greedy appropriation; inner motive is weighed alongside outer act.
Application: When accused or misunderstood, clarify motive without defensiveness; ensure actions that involve others’ property are transparent and oriented to protection, not gain.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A tense yet dignified moment: a speaker stands before Rāma, holding a gleaming ornament in an outstretched hand, eyes earnest, explaining that the act was meant for rescue, not greed. Rāma listens with calm, kingly gravity, his posture steady, the court around them hushed as dharma is weighed.","primary_figures":["Rāma (Raghunandana)","the unnamed speaker holding the ornament","attendants/courtiers"],"setting":"Ayodhya-like royal court or a forest-king’s pavilion, with carved pillars, a simple throne, and a quiet semicircle of witnesses.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["sapphire blue","ivory white","antique gold","sandalwood brown","deep maroon"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Rāma seated in regal composure with a radiant halo, the petitioner in front holding a gold ornament; heavy gold-leaf work on jewelry and throne, rich crimson and emerald textiles, gem-studded crowns, stylized court pillars, devotional iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate court scene with delicate facial expressions—Rāma serene, petitioner earnest—fine linework on the ornament, soft ochres and cool blues, patterned rugs, minimal architecture, lyrical restraint and narrative clarity.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, Rāma with characteristic large eyes and blue-green complexion, the ornament rendered in flat gold tones, attendants in rhythmic poses, temple-wall aesthetic with red/yellow/green dominance and ornamental borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: reinterpret as a dharma-sabha under a lotus canopy; ornate floral borders, stylized lotuses and peacocks framing the scene, deep indigo background with gold highlights, the ornament emphasized as a central motif of moral testing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["hushed court ambience","soft ankle-bells","distant conch shell","brief silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: लोभात्+रघुनन्दन→लोभाद्रघुनन्दन; मतिः+तारणाय→मतिस्तारणाय
FAQs
It distinguishes motive from action: the speaker claims the act was done for ‘tāraṇa’ (saving/delivering) and explicitly denies greed (lobha) as the motive.
It clarifies factual possession—an ornament was indeed taken—while the speaker simultaneously defends the inner intention as non-greedy.
Purāṇas often evaluate conduct through both external deed and internal bhāva (intention). This line foregrounds intention as crucial for moral judgment.