Shloka 14
The Episode of Śivaśarmā: Testing Somaśarmā through Service and Truth
रागद्वेषौ परित्यज्य विविधेनापि कर्मणा । या च शुश्रूषते कांतं देववद्गुरुवत्सला
rāgadveṣau parityajya vividhenāpi karmaṇā | yā ca śuśrūṣate kāṃtaṃ devavadguruvatsalā
ละราคะและโทสะ แล้วปรนนิบัติด้วยกิจนานาประการ นางผู้เอาใจใส่รับใช้สามีผู้เป็นที่รักอย่างเพียรพยายาม รักเขาดุจเทพและดุจครูบาอาจารย์—ย่อมเป็นที่สรรเสริญ
Unspecified (context-dependent within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa Adhyaya 4)
Concept: True service is performed with equanimity—abandoning rāga and dveṣa—transforming household duty into spiritual practice.
Application: Practice seva at home/work without favoritism or resentment; treat relationships as opportunities for humility, steadiness, and sacred responsibility.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: shringara
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a simple, sanctified household space, a devoted wife serves her husband with calm composure—offering water, arranging a seat, and tending to daily needs without impatience. Her face shows gentle love, yet her posture conveys disciplined equanimity, as if performing a quiet ritual.","primary_figures":["devoted wife (pativratā)","husband (kānta)"],"setting":"Domestic shrine-room ambience: a small lamp, clean floor with rangoli-like patterns, brass vessels, and a modest altar in the background.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["lamp gold","vermillion red","ivory white","leaf green","midnight blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: pativratā serving her husband with a brass water pot and lamp nearby; gold-leaf highlights on jewelry and lamp flame, rich red-green textiles, ornate border with lotus motifs, subtle conch/lotus symbols to suggest devotional sanctity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate interior with delicate lines; soft lamp glow, refined facial expressions, gentle shringara tempered by shanta; cool shadows, detailed textiles, small altar elements rendered with lyrical restraint.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized interior with lamp and vessels; strong red-yellow-green palette; figures in dignified profile, large eyes, rhythmic decorative borders like temple murals.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: domestic-sevā tableau framed by intricate floral borders and lotuses; deep blue background with gold accents; peacocks and vines as auspicious motifs, emphasizing devotion through daily service."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["oil lamp crackle","soft ankle bells","distant temple bell","quiet household ambience","tanpura drone"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विविधेनापि = विविधेन + अपि; देववद्गुरुवत्सला = देववत् + गुरुवत्सला; रागद्वेषौ (द्वन्द्व-समास)
FAQs
It teaches mastery over rāga (attachment) and dveṣa (aversion) and encourages selfless service performed as duty rather than driven by personal likes and dislikes.
It frames service with a devotional reverence—serving the beloved ‘like a god’ and with the respect reserved for a guru—showing how everyday duties can be spiritualized through attitude.
No. This śloka is ethical and relational in focus, describing inner discipline and the spirit of service rather than places of pilgrimage.