Shloka 16
Right Conduct, Offenses Against Brāhmaṇas, Truthfulness, and the Greatness of the Cow
Go-Māhātmya
सन्निवृत्तस्ततः कीटाद्यन्त्यजातिषु जायते । ततो रोगी दरिद्रस्तु क्षुधया परिपीडितः
sannivṛttastataḥ kīṭādyantyajātiṣu jāyate | tato rogī daridrastu kṣudhayā paripīḍitaḥ
เมื่อเสื่อมจากธรรมแล้ว เขาย่อมเกิดในกำเนิดต่ำ เช่น หนอนและอื่นๆ ต่อจากนั้นย่อมเป็นคนเจ็บไข้ยากจน ถูกความหิวบีบคั้น
Uncertain (context not provided; likely a narrator within the Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue typical of Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa).
Concept: Adharma leads to spiritual fall: after hellish experience, one descends into low births and then into human misery—disease, poverty, and hunger.
Application: Treat others’ vulnerability as sacred responsibility; avoid actions that cause suffering; build habits of generosity and gentle speech to prevent karmic ‘downward spirals’.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A symbolic wheel of rebirth turns: from a shadowed fall, the soul appears as a tiny worm in damp earth, then as a frail human with sunken eyes, clutching an empty stomach. The imagery emphasizes how cruelty and neglect ripple into embodied suffering—hunger returning as destiny.","primary_figures":["symbolic jīva (soul)","worm/low creatures (kīṭa-ādi)","sickly poor human figure"],"setting":"Triptych-like landscape: dark transitional void → muddy ground with insects → barren village edge with a gaunt figure.","lighting_mood":"overcast, somber realism with faint karmic glow","color_palette":["earth umber","mud green","ashen beige","dull ochre","storm blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: narrative triptych panel—left shows a falling figure into darkness, center shows kīṭa forms in stylized earth, right shows a sickly poor man with empty bowl; ornate borders and selective gold leaf to highlight the ‘wheel of karma’ motif; rich but restrained tones.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate sequential storytelling in three registers; fine depiction of earth textures and a sparse village; subdued palette, poignant facial expression, gentle moral melancholy rather than horror.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined three-scene band with clear iconography—fall, low birth, human poverty; patterned frames, flat color fields, didactic temple-art clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical ‘saṃsāra-chakra’ with lotus medallions turning into thorny medallions; minimal figures, strong decorative borders, deep blue/earth tones, gold linework to show karmic inevitability."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["low tanpura","soft wind ambience","distant temple bell","subtle heartbeat-like drum","long pauses"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सन्निवृत्तस्ततः = सन्निवृत्तः + ततः; कीटाद्यन्त्यजातिषु = कीट-आदि-अन्त्य-जातिषु; दरिद्रस्तु = दरिद्रः + तु
FAQs
It teaches karmaphala: turning away from righteous conduct leads to lower rebirths and suffering such as illness, poverty, and hunger.
In Purāṇic framing it is presented as a literal karmic rebirth sequence, while also functioning as a moral warning about the consequences of ethical decline.
Sustaining dharma (right conduct) is portrayed as essential; abandoning it results in progressively harsher conditions of existence and deprivation.