Shloka 169
Puṣkara Sacrifice: Gāyatrī’s Marriage, Sāvitrī’s Wrath, Rudra’s Test, and the Tīrtha-Māhātmya
नैकत्रवासो लक्ष्म्यास्तु भविष्यति कदाचन । क्षुद्रा सा चलचित्ता च मूर्खेषु च वसिष्यति
naikatravāso lakṣmyāstu bhaviṣyati kadācana | kṣudrā sā calacittā ca mūrkheṣu ca vasiṣyati
พระลักษมีมิได้ประทับอยู่ ณ ที่เดียวเนิ่นนานเลย นางมีจิตใจคับแคบและแปรปรวน และมักไปสถิตอยู่ท่ามกลางคนเขลา
Unspecified (narrative voice not provided in the input excerpt)
Concept: Worldly prosperity is unstable; without wisdom and virtue, fortune does not remain and may settle in unworthy company, producing social decay.
Application: Do not chase wealth as permanence; cultivate steadiness (dhī), generosity, and devotion so prosperity becomes a tool for dharma rather than a cause of folly.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Lakṣmī is depicted as a radiant yet moving presence—stepping from one threshold to another—while shadowy figures of ‘fools’ reach out, unable to hold her. The scene feels like a moral allegory: fortune drifting like a lotus on water, refusing to anchor where discernment is absent.","primary_figures":["Lakṣmī","symbolic ‘fools’ (mūrkha) as human figures","optional: Viṣṇu as distant anchor of true Śrī"],"setting":"Allegorical city thresholds and courtyards; lotus pond reflecting shifting light; doors opening and closing as fortune moves","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["sapphire blue","lotus pink","silver white","warm gold","shadow umber"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Lakṣmī luminous with gold-leaf halo, stepping across ornate thresholds; symbolic figures below with muted tones; lotus pond at the base; heavy gold embellishment on Lakṣmī’s ornaments and architectural borders, rich reds and greens, moral-allegory composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: poetic allegory—Lakṣmī gliding like a lotus-borne breeze across palace terraces; delicate faces, cool night palette; small human figures in confusion; refined brushwork emphasizing impermanence and movement.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Lakṣmī central with bold outlines and large eyes; repeated doorway motifs behind her to show ‘never in one place’; fools rendered as stylized figures with subdued colors; strong red-yellow-green pigments with patterned borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Lakṣmī amid a field of lotuses, moving across a patterned blue ground; ornate floral borders; symbolic figures at the margins; deep blues and gold, intricate lotus motifs emphasizing the theme of drifting fortune."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","night insects","gentle water ripples","long silence between lines"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नैकत्रवासो = न + एकत्र + वासः; लक्ष्म्यास्तु = लक्ष्म्याः + तु; चलचित्ता = चल + चित्ता (समास); अन्यत्र स्पष्ट-सन्धि नहीं।
FAQs
It presents fortune as unstable and non-permanent—something that does not reliably “stay” anywhere, warning against complacency and attachment to prosperity.
It functions as a moral critique: when fortune appears in the hands of the unwise, it can manifest as pettiness and fickleness, implying that wealth without discernment leads to instability and poor conduct.
Do not equate prosperity with virtue or wisdom; cultivate steadiness of mind and discernment, since fortune is changeable and can accompany unwise behavior.