Shloka 26
Praise of Digging Wells and Building Water-Reservoirs
The Merit of Water-Works
विमृश्य धनिना चोक्तं व्याहारं शृणुताधुना । दीनारस्यायुतं वा ते दास्याम्यस्याश्च कारणात्
vimṛśya dhaninā coktaṃ vyāhāraṃ śṛṇutādhunā | dīnārasyāyutaṃ vā te dāsyāmyasyāśca kāraṇāt
ครั้นไตร่ตรองแล้วเศรษฐีกล่าวว่า “บัดนี้จงฟังข้อเสนอของเรา เราจะให้ท่านหนึ่งหมื่นดีนาระ และยิ่งกว่านั้นก็เพราะนางผู้นั้น”
A wealthy man (dhani)
Concept: Wealth and bargaining cannot sanctify an act that violates dharma; intention and righteousness, not price, determine spiritual worth.
Application: Refuse to treat relationships, bodies, or sacred duties as purchasable; practice dana with humility and without ulterior motives.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A wealthy merchant, heavy with gold ornaments, leans forward in a public hall and offers a pouch of coins with a confident, almost possessive gesture. Across from him, a modest figure recoils slightly, while onlookers exchange uneasy glances—wealth attempting to purchase what should not be bought.","primary_figures":["wealthy man (dhani)","recipient/interlocutor","assembly onlookers"],"setting":"A pillared sabha with carved lotus motifs, coin-chests, and a low dais; a faint glimpse of a dry landscape beyond the doorway to foreshadow the later ‘waterless region’.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["antique gold","deep maroon","smoky umber","ivory parchment","shadowy indigo"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a jeweled wealthy man in a pillared sabha offers a gold-coin pouch (ten thousand dīnāras) toward a hesitant interlocutor; gold leaf halos on key figures, rich maroons and emerald accents, gem-studded ornaments, lotus-carved pillars, ornate floor patterns, dramatic hand gestures emphasizing bargaining and moral tension.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: an intimate courtly hall with delicate linework; the merchant extends a small pouch of coins, the other figure turns slightly away; refined faces with expressive eyes, muted reds and browns, a doorway revealing arid land; lyrical naturalism and subtle social critique.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and stylized eyes; the dhani with exaggerated jewelry and coin pouch, the interlocutor in simpler attire; warm red-yellow-green palette, temple-hall backdrop with lotus borders, moral tension conveyed through posture and hand mudras.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a sabha framed by intricate floral borders and lotus motifs; coin pouch and gold patterns prominent; peacocks in the border as witnesses; deep blues and gold highlighting the contrast between sacred aesthetics and worldly bargaining."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["soft assembly murmurs","coin clink","temple lamp crackle","distant wind"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: dhaninā coktam = dhaninā + ca + uktam; śṛṇutādhunā = śṛṇuta + adhunā; dīnārasyāyutam = dīnārasy(a) + ayutam; dāsyāmyasyāśca = dāsyāmi + asyāḥ + ca.
FAQs
A dīnāra is a gold coin (a monetary unit) used in classical Indian contexts; here it signifies a substantial payment.
The verse frames wealth as a tool used in negotiation and motivation; the moral evaluation depends on the broader context of why the payment is offered “on account of her.”
Not directly. This shloka is part of a narrative dialogue about an offer/payment; it is not primarily about pilgrimage geography or devotional doctrine in isolation.