Shloka 39
The Horse’s Journey
to Cyavana’s Hermitage
सा जिह्वा रघुनाथस्य नामकीर्तनमादरात् । करोति विपरीता या फणिनो रसना समा
sā jihvā raghunāthasya nāmakīrtanamādarāt | karoti viparītā yā phaṇino rasanā samā
ลิ้นใดมิได้สวดกีรตนะแห่งพระนาม “รฆุนาถ” ด้วยความเคารพ ลิ้นนั้นย่อมวิปริต—ดุจลิ้นแยกสองแฉกของงู
Unspecified (narratorial/teachings voice within the Pātāla-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: The tongue’s true purpose is nāma-kīrtana; neglecting Raghunātha’s name is a distortion of one’s spiritual function.
Application: Commit to a daily quota of Rāma-nāma (japa/kīrtana); replace idle or harmful speech with remembrance; treat speech as an offering.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dramatic allegory: a human tongue appears as a luminous ribbon of speech hovering before a shrine of Rāma; when it refuses kīrtana, it darkens and splits into a serpent’s fork, coiling with shadow. In contrast, the shrine’s light—conch-white and gold—presses forward as if inviting the tongue back into sacred sound.","primary_figures":["Rama (icon or subtle presence)","Allegorical tongue/serpent imagery","Devotee silhouette (optional)"],"setting":"Temple interior with a small Rāma shrine; symbolic space where speech becomes visible as form—half sanctum, half dreamlike moral tableau.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["smoky black","vermillion red","conch white","burnished gold","deep teal"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Rāma in a small sanctum with gold leaf arch; foreground shows a stylized tongue transforming into a forked serpent-tongue, rendered as a moral emblem; rich reds and greens, heavy gold highlights, crisp iconographic clarity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: poetic moral scene—delicate serpent motif near a softly glowing Rāma shrine; cool shadows, refined lines, restrained symbolism, a devotee figure turning from idle talk to kīrtana.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines of a serpent with forked tongue juxtaposed against a radiant Rāma icon; strong red/yellow/green palette, lamp flames stylized, didactic temple-wall composition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central Rāma emblem framed by floral borders; around it, small vignettes of tongues as serpents vs tongues as garlanded with nāma syllables; deep blue ground with gold and white calligraphic nāma motifs."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["sharp temple bell strikes","mridangam accents","conch shell","brief silence after the rebuke"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नामकीर्तनमादरात् = नामकीर्तनम् आदरात् (म् + आ); फणिनो = फणिनः (ओ-रूपः षष्ठी-एकवचनस्य वैकल्पिक/पाठभेद).
FAQs
It emphasizes nāma-kīrtana—reverent chanting or singing of Raghunātha (Rāma)’s name—as a central act of bhakti.
The serpent-tongue image conveys “viparīta” (perversity/contrariness): a tongue that refuses sacred chanting is depicted as spiritually misdirected and harmful in tendency.
It teaches that speech should be sanctified through devotion—using the tongue for sincere remembrance and praise of the divine rather than remaining spiritually barren or misused.