Shloka 75
The Glory of Dhātrī (Āmalakī) and Tulasī: Ekādaśī Observance and Protection from Preta States
मत्वा च मोहिताः श्रेष्ठं प्रेतादंति सदैव हि । शकृच्छौचजलं वांतं बलिसूकरकुक्कुटैः
matvā ca mohitāḥ śreṣṭhaṃ pretādaṃti sadaiva hi | śakṛcchaucajalaṃ vāṃtaṃ balisūkarakukkuṭaiḥ
మోహితులై వారు దానినే శ్రేష్ఠమని భావించి ఎల్లప్పుడూ ప్రేతులవలె భక్షిస్తారు—మలం, మలశౌచజలం, వాంతి—బలిపై జీవించే పందులు, కోళ్లు లాగు.
Unknown (context not provided; likely a narrator within the Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa dialogue frame)
Concept: Delusion (moha) inverts values; when purity and discernment collapse, one embraces what is intrinsically impure and falls into preta-like existence.
Application: Guard diet, habits, and company; treat disgust here as a diagnostic—if the mind normalizes the impure, re-anchor in sāttvika routine, mantra with proper discipline, and temple/holy association.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dim, smoke-laden outskirts scene where deluded figures, eyes glazed by tamas, reach for revolting refuse as if it were a feast. Shadowy preta-forms hover close, mirroring their actions, while pigs and fowls peck at scattered bali remnants, turning the ground into a grim moral tableau.","primary_figures":["deluded householders","preta-spirits","pigs","fowls"],"setting":"village edge near a refuse pit and a neglected offering spot, broken pots, scattered bali, stagnant puddles","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["ash gray","mud brown","sickly green","smoke black","dull ochre"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a cautionary dharma tableau at the village outskirts—tamasic humans and hovering pretas near a refuse pit, pigs and fowls at bali remnants; heavy gold leaf used ironically only on the distant, faint temple gopuram silhouette to contrast purity vs degradation; rich reds muted with soot, ornate borders with lotus motifs fading into darkness, traditional South Indian iconographic detailing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical yet unsettling night scene—cool indigo sky, delicate brushwork on thin figures and translucent preta forms; a distant riverbank and small shrine barely visible; refined faces with vacant eyes, subtle naturalism in birds and pigs, Himalayan-style landscape contours used as moral distance from the impure foreground.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and natural pigments—tamasic figures in exaggerated postures, pretas as pale greenish silhouettes; a small lamp-lit shrine far away; strong red/yellow/green palette with darkened background wash, temple-wall aesthetic emphasizing didactic contrast.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: an atypical moral pichwai—central negative space of impurity with swirling dark floral borders; distant lotus pond and faint Krishna shrine motif at the top margin as the pure counterpoint; intricate patterns, deep blues and gold, peacocks absent or hidden to signal loss of auspiciousness."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple bell in distance","night insects","wind over dry ground","occasional crow call","heavy silence between lines"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रेताः + अदन्ति → प्रेतादन्ति; शकृत् + शौचजलम् → शकृच्छौचजलं; वान्तम् (IAST vāṃtaṃ) = वान्तम्; बलि+सूकर+कुक्कुटैः → बलिसूकरकुक्कुटैः (समास)
FAQs
It condemns delusion that mistakes degraded, impure habits for something “best,” portraying such conduct as preta-like and animalistic to stress moral and ritual decline.
These images function as a stark ethical warning: when discrimination (viveka) is lost, one can normalize what is intrinsically impure and spiritually harmful.
Do not glorify or rationalize degrading behavior; cultivate discernment, purity of conduct, and right values rather than living by base appetites.