Shloka 23
The Glory of Plastering/Smearing (and Maintaining) Hari’s Temple
यम उवाच । अनेन किं कृतं कर्म पापं वा पुण्यमेव वा । समूलं वद हे प्राज्ञ चित्रगुप्त ममाग्रतः
yama uvāca | anena kiṃ kṛtaṃ karma pāpaṃ vā puṇyameva vā | samūlaṃ vada he prājña citragupta mamāgrataḥ
พระยมตรัสว่า: “ผู้นี้ได้กระทำกรรมอันใด—เป็นบาปหรือเป็นบุญกันแน่? โอ้จิตรคุปต์ผู้รอบรู้ จงกล่าวต่อหน้าเราให้ครบถ้วน พร้อมเหตุรากเดิม.”
Yama
Concept: Actions must be traced to their root (samūla): intention, habit, and the decisive merit or sin that shapes destiny.
Application: Examine the roots of your actions daily—motives, triggers, and patterns; cultivate root-causes of merit (sat-saṅga, japa, vrata discipline) rather than merely surface behavior.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In a vast, austere hall of judgment, Yama sits enthroned, his gaze like a burning coal, as Chitragupta stands with palm-leaf records and an inked stylus. The bound soul is brought forward; the moment freezes on Yama’s question, as if the cosmos itself pauses to hear the root-truth of karma.","primary_figures":["Yama (Śamana)","Chitragupta","Yamadūtas","thief (as a soul/being brought to court)"],"setting":"Yama’s court with iron pillars, record shelves, and a central dais; attendants and scribes in ordered ranks","lighting_mood":"divine radiance with stern chiaroscuro","color_palette":["dark crimson","burnished gold","ink black","stone gray","pale parchment"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Yama enthroned with traditional iconographic attributes, Chitragupta beside him holding palm-leaf ledger; gold leaf lavishly on throne, crown, and halo, rich reds and greens, gem-like detailing, symmetrical court composition with ornate borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined courtroom tableau—Yama seated under a canopy, Chitragupta with manuscript, delicate architectural lines; cool grays and reds with gold accents, expressive but controlled faces, lyrical balance between severity and revelation.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, frontal iconic Yama with intense eyes, Chitragupta in profile with stylus and manuscript; flat pigments in red/yellow/green, temple-wall narrative clarity, patterned throne and borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: court scene framed by intricate floral borders; deep blue-black ground with gold highlights; stylized palm-leaf ledgers as repeating motifs; include subtle lotus patterns to suggest the possibility of purification even in judgment, ornate Nathdwara-like border richness."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Darbari","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drone","courtly silence","single bell strike","rustle of palm leaves","distant conch"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यम उवाच = यमः + उवाच; पुण्यमेव = पुण्यम् + एव; ममाग्रतः = मम + अग्रतः.
FAQs
Chitragupta is traditionally the cosmic record-keeper of actions; Yama, as judge of dharma, asks him to state whether the person’s karma is sinful or meritorious.
“Samūlam” means “with the root,” i.e., not only the outward act but also its underlying cause, intention, and context that generate the karmic result.
Actions are evaluated as pāpa or puṇya with attention to their deeper motivations and causes, highlighting moral responsibility beyond mere external behavior.