Shloka 37
Prologue to the Suvrata Narrative: Revā (Narmadā) and Vāmana-tīrtha; Greed, Anxiety, and the Ethics of Trust
यथा येन प्रदत्तं स्यान्न्यासस्य हरणात्पुरा । दुःखमेव महाभाग दारुणं प्राणनाशनम्
yathā yena pradattaṃ syānnyāsasya haraṇātpurā | duḥkhameva mahābhāga dāruṇaṃ prāṇanāśanam
โอ้ท่านผู้มีบุญใหญ่ หากทรัพย์ที่ฝากไว้เป็นน्यासะ (ของฝาก/ความไว้วางใจ) ถูกลักเอาไปจากที่ซึ่งผู้อื่นวางไว้ก่อนแล้ว ผลย่อมมีแต่ทุกข์—ทุกข์อันน่าสะพรึงที่อาจคร่าชีวิตได้
Unspecified (context needed to confirm the dialogue frame in Bhūmi-khaṇḍa 11)
Concept: Stealing or misappropriating a nyāsa (deposit/trust) is a severe adharma that yields intense duḥkha, potentially life-destroying—karmically and socially.
Application: Never misuse entrusted funds, confidential information, or responsibilities; keep clear accounts; return deposits promptly; treat trust as sacred.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A solemn scene of a sealed cloth bundle placed in a niche—marked as a deposit—while a shadowy figure reaches to steal it. In the background, the depositor’s family collapses into grief, and above them a stern, unseen karmic presence is suggested by dark clouds and a faint wheel of justice.","primary_figures":["depositor (trusting householder)","thief/embezzler","grieving family","symbolic Dharma (optional personification)"],"setting":"a village home storeroom with a wall niche and a marked deposit bundle; outside, a dusty lane where consequences unfold","lighting_mood":"dramatic chiaroscuro","color_palette":["smoky charcoal","blood maroon","muted bronze","ashen grey","cold blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a dramatic moral tableau—an entrusted bundle in a niche with sacred markings, a deceitful figure stealing it, the depositor lamenting, gold leaf used sparingly to highlight the ‘seal of trust’ and a symbolic Dharma-emblem, rich reds and deep greens, ornate borders emphasizing moral gravity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate interior with delicate brushwork—deposit bundle, stealthy hand, shocked faces, cool nocturnal palette, refined expressions of betrayal, minimal architecture, lyrical yet tense composition.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, expressive eyes—Dharma as a stern figure in the upper register, below a thief taking the nyāsa and the victim’s anguish, red/yellow/green palette with darkened background bands to heighten severity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical composition with a central ‘bundle of trust’ framed by lotus borders, dark swirling motifs representing greed, gold accents as karmic inevitability, symmetrical layout turning a social crime into a cosmic moral lesson."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drum pulse","distant thunder","sharp temple bell strike","sudden silence after key words"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्यात् + न्यासस्य → स्यान्न्यासस्य; हरणात् + पुरा → हरणात्पुरा; दुःखम् + एव → दुःखमेव
FAQs
Nyāsa here means a deposit or entrusted property—something placed in another’s care for safekeeping; taking it is treated as a grave ethical breach.
It warns that betraying trust—especially by stealing what was entrusted—leads to severe suffering, emphasizing fidelity, honesty, and protection of others’ property.
It describes the consequence in moral-spiritual terms: intense, dreadful suffering that may become “life-destroying,” without detailing a specific legal punishment in this line.