Shloka 21
Right Conduct, Offenses Against Brāhmaṇas, Truthfulness, and the Greatness of the Cow
Go-Māhātmya
मुष्टिचपेटकीलैश्च हन्याद्विप्रं तु यः पुमान् । तापने रौरवे घोरे कल्पांतं सोपि तिष्ठति
muṣṭicapeṭakīlaiśca hanyādvipraṃ tu yaḥ pumān | tāpane raurave ghore kalpāṃtaṃ sopi tiṣṭhati
บุรุษใดทำร้ายพราหมณ์ด้วยหมัด ด้วยฝ่ามือ หรือด้วยอาวุธคม ผู้นั้นย่อมอยู่ในนรกอันน่าสะพรึงชื่อ ตาปนะ (Tāpana) และเรารวะ (Raurava) จนสิ้นกัลป์
Not specified in the provided excerpt (context needed from Adhyaya 48 framing dialogue).
Concept: Physical assault on a brāhmaṇa is treated as a catastrophic dharmic rupture, yielding prolonged infernal suffering across cosmic time.
Application: Cultivate nonviolence in speech and body; when anger rises, step back, seek mediation, and honor sacred roles (teacher, priest, elder) without idealizing wrongdoing—resolve conflicts through dharmic means.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A violent moment freezes in time: a man lashes out with fists and weapons toward a brāhmaṇa, but the air itself seems to recoil. The scene dissolves into a terrifying infernal panorama—Tāpana’s searing heat and Raurava’s jagged torment—where the offender is shown enduring punishment beneath a sky that suggests endless kalpas.","primary_figures":["Brāhmaṇa","Offender","Yamadūtas","Personified flames of Tāpana","Shadow-beasts of Raurava"],"setting":"Split-scene: earthly assault near a hermitage courtyard transitioning into twin hellscapes—one of blistering fire, one of iron thorns and roaring dread.","lighting_mood":"blazing infernal glare","color_palette":["incandescent orange","lava red","pitch black","iron gray","acid yellow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic split composition with ornate gold-leaf borders; upper earthly scene with brāhmaṇa haloed, lower infernal registers labeled Tāpana and Raurava; stylized flames, iron spikes, Yamadūtas with traditional iconography; rich reds and greens contrasted with black, heavy gold embellishment on divine/ethical symbols.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: narrative clarity with delicate figures; the assault scene rendered with restrained motion, then a surreal infernal landscape with fine stippling for heat and thorn textures; cool-to-hot gradient palette, refined faces, minimal but powerful symbolism of kalpānta as a vast starless sky.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: iconic, frontal Yamadūtas and stylized flames; bold outlines and flat reds/yellows; the brāhmaṇa’s calm face contrasts with the offender’s distorted rage; temple-wall aesthetic with patterned borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical moral cloth—central dark circle of ‘adharma’ with thorn motifs; surrounding panels show the assault and the two hells; intricate floral borders in gold, deep blue ground, symbolic cows/lotuses as dharma markers."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["sharp hand drum strikes","conch blast","crackling fire","heavy silence on 'kalpāntaṃ'"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कीलैश्च→कीलैः च; हन्याद्विप्रं→हन्यात् विप्रम्; कल्पांतं→कल्पान्तम्; सोपि→सः अपि.
FAQs
It teaches that violence against a brāhmaṇa—whether by beating or using weapons—is a grave sin with severe karmic consequences, described here as long residence in specific hell-realms.
They are names of narakas (hell-realms) used in Purāṇic literature to depict the results of particular sins; the verse states the offender dwells there until kalpānta (the end of the aeon).
The verse emphasizes restraint from violence and the protection of religious/ethical order (dharma), warning that harming revered or protected persons carries heavy moral and spiritual repercussions.