Shloka 14
Adhyaya 16 — The Son’s Counsel on Renunciation and the Anasuya–Mandavya Episode: The Suspension of Sunrise and the Power of Pativrata
पुत्र उवाच कौशिको ब्राह्मणः कश्चित् प्रतिष्ठानेऽभवत् पुरे । सोऽन्यजन्मकृतैः पापैः कुष्ठरोगातुरोऽभवत् ॥
putra uvāca kauśiko brāhmaṇaḥ kaścit pratiṣṭhāne 'bhavat pure / so 'nyajanmakṛtaiḥ pāpaiḥ kuṣṭharogāturo 'bhavat
บุตรกล่าวว่า “ในนครประติษฐาน มีพราหมณ์ผู้หนึ่งนามว่า เกาศิกะ ด้วยบาปที่กระทำไว้ในชาติปางก่อน เขาจึงถูกโรคเรื้อนเบียดเบียน”
{ "primaryRasa": "karuna", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The narrative frames bodily affliction as karma-phala (result of prior actions), preparing the reader for an ethical contrast between external impurity (disease) and internal virtue (the wife’s devotion).
This is chiefly vaṃśānucarita/ākhyāna (exemplary narrative) rather than cosmological categories; it supports dharma-śikṣā through story.
Leprosy functions as a symbol of deep-seated saṃskāras (latent impurities) ripening into visible suffering—setting the stage for testing compassion, fidelity, and self-mastery.