Shloka 8
Karmas Leading to Hell and Heaven
Ethical Catalog of Destinies
सुकूपानां तडागानां प्रपानां च परंतप । सरसां चैव भेत्तारो नरा निरयगामिनः
sukūpānāṃ taḍāgānāṃ prapānāṃ ca paraṃtapa | sarasāṃ caiva bhettāro narā nirayagāminaḥ
اے دشمنوں کو جلانے والے! جو لوگ اچھے کنویں، تالاب، پانی پلانے کی جگہیں اور جھیلیں توڑ کر برباد کرتے ہیں—وہ دوزخ کے مستحق ہیں۔
Unspecified (context-dependent narrator addressing a listener as 'paraṃtapa')
Concept: Sabotaging communal water sources is a grave sin; protecting and maintaining water is a form of dharma and dāna.
Application: Support water conservation, maintain wells/ponds, avoid pollution, contribute to public drinking-water points; treat water as sacred and shared.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sun-scorched pilgrimage road shows a gleaming stepwell and a shaded prapā where travelers and animals drink; to one side, a vandal strikes the stone embankment, and the water darkens as Yama’s shadow falls behind him. Above, a translucent vision of Viṣṇu as the indwelling preserver ripples across the water’s surface, as if the lake itself were a mirror of dharma.","primary_figures":["pilgrims","village caretakers","animals (cow, deer, birds)","vandal/destroyer figure","Yama-dūta silhouettes","Vishnu (water-reflection vision)"],"setting":"Stepwell/pond complex on a pilgrimage route with a small shrine, stone ghats, and a prapā pavilion.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["sunlit sandstone","turquoise water","burnt umber","conch white","shadow violet"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: ornate stepwell with gold-leaf highlights on ghats and shrine; pilgrims offering water, cows drinking; a small narrative corner shows the destroyer cracking the embankment with darkened tones; Viṣṇu’s shimmering reflection in the pond rendered with gold accents; rich reds/greens, embossed borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: elegant stepwell architecture, delicate figures with water pots; dawn light on sandstone; a contrasting vignette of sabotage in cooler shadows; lyrical birds and trees, fine brushwork and gentle gradients.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized pond with geometric ghats; bold outlines; central prapā pavilion; symbolic Yama shadow behind the destroyer; Viṣṇu’s presence as a patterned water-mandala; strong primary pigments.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central lotus-pond motif with ghats; border of water-pot (kalaśa) and lotus patterns; pilgrims and cows arranged symmetrically; a small admonitory panel of the destroyer near the edge; deep blues and gold with intricate floral filigree."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["water splashing at ghats","clay pot clinks","distant conch","morning birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: परंतप = परम् + तप (तत्पुरुष-समास; अनुस्वार/ं लेखनभेदः); चैव = च + एव
FAQs
It frames the protection of public water sources—wells, ponds, water-stations, and lakes—as a serious moral duty; harming them is treated as a grave sin with severe consequences.
A prapā is a public drinking-water station (water-shed/rest stop). The verse highlights such facilities as communal lifelines; destroying them is condemned because it endangers and harms many beings.
Indirectly, yes: it treats water bodies and water infrastructure as sacred and socially vital assets, aligning with Purāṇic tīrtha-culture where water sites are protected and revered.