Shloka 20
Prohibitions and Rules of Right Conduct (Ācāra): Theft, Speech, Purity, Residence, and Social Boundaries
विहिताचारहीनेषु क्षिप्रं नश्यति वै कुलम् । अधार्मिकैर्वृते ग्रामे न व्याधिबहुले वसेत्
vihitācārahīneṣu kṣipraṃ naśyati vai kulam | adhārmikairvṛte grāme na vyādhibahule vaset
విధించిన ఆచారాలు లేని కులాలలో వంశం త్వరగా నశిస్తుంది. అధార్మికులు అధికంగా ఉన్న గ్రామంలోనూ, వ్యాధులు విస్తరించిన చోటనూ నివసించకూడదు।
Unspecified (contextual narrator/teacher voice within Svarga-khaṇḍa discourse)
Concept: Absence of prescribed conduct destroys lineage; avoid environments dominated by adharma or disease, as they erode body, mind, and merit.
Application: Choose community and daily routines that reinforce integrity; prioritize clean water, public health, and ethical neighbors; cultivate household discipline (ācāra) so spiritual practices remain steady.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A traveler-householder pauses at a crossroads: one road leads to a bright, orderly village with a small Viṣṇu shrine and clean wells; the other to a shadowed settlement with quarrelsome crowds and stagnant water. A sage’s warning is visualized as a protective aura around the dhārmic path, while dark haze hangs over the diseased quarter.","primary_figures":["a dvija traveler/householder","a guiding sage (ṛṣi)","villagers (dhārmic and adhārmic groups)"],"setting":"crossroads outside two contrasting villages, with a small roadside shrine and a distant cremation-ground silhouette on the darker side","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["warm gold","clean white","earth brown","indigo shadow","turmeric yellow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: split-composition crossroads—left side a radiant village with Viṣṇu shrine, right side a dim diseased settlement; gold leaf highlights on shrine and sage’s halo, rich reds/greens, ornate borders, symbolic purity vessels and lamps.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical landscape with two villages in the distance, delicate figures at a crossroads, subtle atmospheric perspective showing clean flowing stream vs stagnant pond, cool greens and blues with gentle sunrise wash.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized villages as icon-like panels, sage pointing to the dhārmic route, dramatic contrast of bright yellows/reds vs dark greens/blacks, temple-wall narrative clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: narrative textile with floral borders; central crossroads medallion, left medallions show cleanliness and kīrtana near a shrine, right medallions show discord and illness; deep blue ground with gold and lotus motifs."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["footsteps on dust path","distant temple bell","crows in the darker village","flowing water on the brighter side"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विहिताचारहीनेषु = विहित-आचार-हीनेषु; अधार्मिकैर्वृते = अधार्मिकैः वृते; व्याधिबहुले = व्याधि-बहुले.
FAQs
It teaches that adherence to prescribed righteous conduct sustains a family and that one should avoid environments dominated by unrighteousness and widespread illness.
Because sustained dharmic practice (ācāra) is presented as the foundation for stability, harmony, and continuity; when conduct collapses, the family’s integrity and future quickly deteriorate.
As practical dharma: preserving health supports duty, worship, and livelihood; therefore, one should choose a residence that does not obstruct righteous living through constant illness.