Shloka 53
The Five Great Sacrifices: Supremacy of Honoring Parents, Pativrata Dharma, Truthfulness, and Śrāddha
एवं जन्मशतं प्राप्य अंते मोक्षो भवेद्ध्रुवम् । विप्र उवाच । पतिव्रता भवेत्कावा तस्याः किं वा च लक्षणं
evaṃ janmaśataṃ prāpya aṃte mokṣo bhaveddhruvam | vipra uvāca | pativratā bhavetkāvā tasyāḥ kiṃ vā ca lakṣaṇaṃ
ఇలా వంద జన్మలు పొందిన తరువాత చివరికి మోక్షం నిశ్చయంగా కలుగుతుంది. బ్రాహ్మణుడు అన్నాడు—‘పతివ్రత అని ఎవరిని అంటారు? ఆమె లక్షణాలు ఏమిటి?’
Vipra (a brāhmaṇa interlocutor; questioner)
Concept: Even within a framework of repeated births and rewards, the discourse points to a culminating certainty of moksha—prompting inquiry into the defining marks of true pativratā-dharma.
Application: When hearing promises of results, ask for the ‘lakṣaṇa’—the inner qualities and disciplines—so practice becomes authentic rather than transactional.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A learned brāhmaṇa stands with folded hands in a forest hermitage assembly, his face lit by curiosity and reverence. Behind him, a faint wheel of births (a hundred lotus-petals) culminates in a bright opening labeled ‘mokṣa’, visually framing his question about the true marks of a pativratā.","primary_figures":["vipra (brāhmaṇa questioner)","assembled sages (suggested)","symbolic lotus-wheel of births"],"setting":"Hermitage (āśrama) with kusa grass seats, palm-leaf manuscripts, sacrificial fire, and a quiet riverbank nearby (generic).","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["sage green","smoke gray","ochre","lotus white","sunlit gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central vipra with añjali-mudrā before a seated divine/sage figure (kept slightly off-frame to preserve the question moment), gold leaf aura around a lotus-wheel motif showing many births ending in a radiant mokṣa-gate; rich maroons and greens, ornate borders, manuscript and yajña-kuṇḍa details.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate āśrama scene with delicate trees and a small fire altar; vipra asking a question, sages listening; in the sky, a subtle lotus mandala with many petals and a bright opening; cool natural palette, refined expressions, lyrical stillness.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: vipra with pronounced eyes and stylized gestures; background mandala of lotus petals representing repeated births; bold outlines, earthy pigments, temple-wall composition with symmetrical framing.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: large lotus mandala dominating the cloth, each petal hinting at a birth; at the bottom, a small vignette of the vipra in inquiry; ornate floral borders, deep indigo and gold with white lotus highlights."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["crackling sacred fire","rustling leaves","flowing water","soft bell at the question cue"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: भवेद्ध्रुवम् = भवेत् + ध्रुवम् (त् + ध → द्ध). विप्र उवाच = विप्रः + उवाच (विसर्ग-लोप). भवेत्कावा = भवेत् + का + वा (त् + क → त्क; का + वा → कावा).
FAQs
The brāhmaṇa asks for a definition of “pativratā” (a devoted wife) and the identifying qualities (lakṣaṇa) by which such a woman is recognized.
It frames liberation as a certain end-result (dhruvam mokṣaḥ) following sustained moral-spiritual progress across many lives, and then immediately turns to a dharma-topic—pativratā-dharma—as part of that path.
The ethical theme is marital fidelity and religious duty within household life, indicating that disciplined conduct (dharma) is treated as spiritually consequential in the text’s larger teaching.