Shloka 73
Brahmā’s Puṣkara Sacrifice: Ṛtvij System, Sāvitrī’s Reconciliation, Tīrtha-Catalogue, Śrāddha & Initiation Rites, and Vrata Fruits
भर्तृनिंदां या कुरुते स्वसृनिंदां तथैव च । परिवादं प्रलापं वा नरकं सा तु गच्छति
bhartṛniṃdāṃ yā kurute svasṛniṃdāṃ tathaiva ca | parivādaṃ pralāpaṃ vā narakaṃ sā tu gacchati
สตรีใดกล่าวร้ายสามี หรือกล่าวร้ายพี่น้องสตรีของตน และหมกมุ่นในคำติฉินนินทาหรือวาจาเพ้อพรายอันมุ่งร้าย นางนั้นย่อมไปสู่นรกแท้
Unspecified (narratorial/didactic voice within the Adhyaya context)
Concept: Vāk-saṃyama (restraint of speech) is essential to strī-dharma; malicious speech (nindā, parivāda, pralāpa) leads to naraka as a karmic consequence.
Application: Avoid gossip and character-assassination; practice truthful, beneficial, and gentle speech; when anger rises, pause before speaking and redirect to prayer or constructive counsel.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A domestic courtyard at dusk: a woman’s harsh words appear as dark, smoky syllables that coil outward, while a subtle vision of Yama’s realm looms in the background as a warning. A calm, luminous figure of Dharma (or a sage-teacher) gestures toward silence and prayer, contrasting the turbulence of slander with the serenity of restraint.","primary_figures":["Admonitory sage/teacher-figure","Householder woman","Symbolic Yama-dūtas (faint, in the distance)"],"setting":"Ancient Indian household courtyard with tulasi platform hinted at the edge, threshold lamps, and a distant shadow-vision of naraka as moral allegory.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["smoky charcoal","deep maroon","lamp-gold","ash white","indigo night"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a didactic courtyard scene with a sage raising a blessing-hand for silence, the woman mid-speech with stylized dark speech-clouds, faint Yama-dūtas in the background; heavy gold leaf on ornaments and lamp flames, rich reds and greens, gem-studded borders, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate domestic veranda with delicate linework; the woman’s speech rendered as thin ink-like curls drifting toward a distant, misty naraka vignette; cool twilight blues and soft ochres, refined faces, lyrical trees and a small tulasi shrine at the margin.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and flat natural pigments; moral tableau with the teacher-figure centered, the woman to one side, and a symbolic Yama realm panel behind; strong reds/yellows/greens, large expressive eyes, temple-wall aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional-moral allegory framed by floral borders; central motif of a tulasi pedestal and lamp as purity, with side vignettes showing harmful speech as dark tendrils; intricate lotuses, peacocks, and gold detailing on deep indigo cloth."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["single temple bell strikes","low drone (tanpura)","brief silence after key words","distant conch (very soft)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: भर्तृनिंदाम्→भर्तृनिन्दाम्; स्वसृनिंदाम्→स्वसृनिन्दाम्; तथैव→तथा+एव; श्लोकपादान्ते विरामः।
FAQs
It warns against harmful speech—especially slander, backbiting, and malicious prattle—teaching that such actions create severe negative karmic consequences.
Not directly. It functions primarily as a moral injunction (nīti) about speech and conduct, which supports spiritual life by discouraging sinful behavior.
No deities or named figures are mentioned; the verse is a general ethical statement about conduct and its results.