Shloka 48
Yayāti’s Summons to Heaven and the Teaching on Old Age, the Five-Element Body, and Self–Body Discernment
ययातिरुवाच । किं मया तत्कृतं कर्म येन मय्यर्थिता तव । इंद्रस्य देवराजस्य तत्सर्वं मे वदस्व च
yayātiruvāca | kiṃ mayā tatkṛtaṃ karma yena mayyarthitā tava | iṃdrasya devarājasya tatsarvaṃ me vadasva ca
ยยาติกล่าวว่า: “ข้าพเจ้าได้กระทำกรรมสิ่งใดเล่า จึงทำให้ท่านมาหาข้าพเจ้าพร้อมคำขอ? จงบอกข้าพเจ้าทั้งหมดเถิด เกี่ยวกับพระอินทร์ ผู้เป็นราชาแห่งเทวะทั้งหลาย”
King Yayāti
Concept: Self-inquiry into one’s karma is the doorway to understanding divine approaches and responsibilities.
Application: When praised or approached for help, ask what duty or prior action has ripened into this moment; respond with accountability rather than ego.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In a jeweled audience hall at the edge of the human and celestial worlds, King Yayāti sits on a lion-throne, palms joined, his gaze steady yet questioning. Before him stands Mātali, Indra’s charioteer, bearing a subtle aura of svarga—garlands, faint lightning motifs, and the scent of mandāra blossoms—hinting at a divine request about the deva-king.","primary_figures":["King Yayāti","Mātali (Indra’s charioteer)"],"setting":"Royal court transitioning into a liminal celestial threshold—pillars carved with lotus and vajra motifs, distant glimpse of a radiant sky-road.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit with a thread of divine radiance","color_palette":["sapphire blue","burnished gold","lotus pink","ivory white","emerald green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: King Yayāti seated in regal posture with folded hands, Mātali standing with celestial ornaments and a small vajra emblem, ornate court pillars with lotus carvings, heavy gold leaf halos, rich crimson and emerald textiles, gem-studded crowns, symmetrical composition, sacred stillness.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate court scene with delicate linework, Yayāti’s thoughtful expression, Mātali’s refined celestial attire, cool blues and soft greens, patterned carpets, a distant opening showing a luminous sky-path to svarga, lyrical naturalism and gentle shading.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, stylized large eyes, Yayāti in royal costume with warm reds and yellows, Mātali with green-gold celestial accents, lotus and vajra motifs on pillars, flat iconic space with divine aura bands behind figures.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: court scene framed by intricate floral borders and lotus motifs, deep indigo background with gold highlights, peacocks in the margins, Yayāti and Mātali centered like devotional icons, ornate textile patterns and symmetrical ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","court ambience fading into silence","distant conch shell"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तत्कृतं = तत् + कृतम्; मय्यर्थिता = मयि + अर्थिता
FAQs
King Yayāti is speaking. He asks what action on his part has led the other person to approach him with a request, and he asks to be told the full matter concerning Indra, the king of the gods.
It highlights karmic causality and accountability—Yayāti assumes that a present request or situation must be connected to a prior deed, and he seeks the complete truth of the matter.
An ethical lesson is the readiness to examine one’s own actions and accept responsibility, along with the insistence on hearing the full context before responding or judging.