Shloka 39
The Glory of Truthful Oaths and Keeping One’s Promise
Satya & Pratijñā
तस्यान्नं तु जलं ब्रह्मन्न ग्राह्यं पितृदैवतैः । त्यक्त्वा धर्मो गृहं तस्य भीत्या याति द्विजोत्तम
tasyānnaṃ tu jalaṃ brahmanna grāhyaṃ pitṛdaivataiḥ | tyaktvā dharmo gṛhaṃ tasya bhītyā yāti dvijottama
لیکن اے برہمن! اُس شخص کا کھانا اور پانی پِتر دیوتاؤں کے لیے قابلِ قبول نہیں۔ اے بہترین دوجا! دھرم خوف سے اُس کے گھر کو چھوڑ کر چلا جاتا ہے۔
Unspecified narrator/speaker addressing a Brahmin (likely within the Bhīṣma–Pulastya dialogue framework of the Padma Purāṇa)
Concept: Adharma renders one’s hospitality and offerings ritually unreceivable; Dharma itself withdraws from the unethical household.
Application: Do not seek religious merit while maintaining unethical conduct; align livelihood, speech, and household dealings with integrity so that charity and ancestral rites are not hollow.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A solemn brāhmaṇa stands at a śrāddha altar with untouched bowls of anna and jala; the offerings appear dim and unreceived, as if the unseen Pitṛ-deities turn away. Behind him, a personified Dharma—radiant yet anxious—steps out of the threshold of the house, glancing back with fear as shadows gather at the doorway.","primary_figures":["Brāhmaṇa officiant","Personified Dharma (as a luminous ascetic figure)","Unseen Pitṛ-deities (suggested by fading halos/empty seats)"],"setting":"A courtyard śrāddha scene: kuśa grass, piṇḍa plates, water vessel, threshold of a household with a darkened interior.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["smoky umber","ash white","lamp-gold","deep maroon","indigo shadow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a śrāddha altar in a South Indian courtyard, brāhmaṇa in white dhoti offering piṇḍas; Dharma as a haloed figure stepping away from the house threshold, gold leaf radiance around Dharma and ritual vessels, rich maroons and greens, ornate borders, subtle gem-like highlights on the kalasha and lamps, traditional iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate courtyard scene with delicate linework—brāhmaṇa by a low altar, kuśa grass and small bowls; Dharma personified as a slender luminous figure departing the doorway; cool twilight tones, lyrical architecture, refined faces, minimal yet expressive gestures, soft Himalayan-style atmospheric wash.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and flat natural pigments—brāhmaṇa at ritual platform, stylized lamps, Dharma with large expressive eyes stepping out; strong red/yellow/green palette with indigo shadows, temple-wall aesthetic, patterned floor and border motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic śrāddha tableau framed by floral borders—empty Pitṛ seats indicated by lotus medallions without figures; Dharma departing the threshold; intricate vines and lotuses, deep blues and gold accents, devotional textile symmetry, peacocks subdued at the margins to emphasize solemnity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple bell","soft conch in distance","crackling oil lamp","heavy silence between lines"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तस्यान्नं → तस्य अन्नम् (अ + अ); ब्रह्मन्न → ब्रह्मन् (सम्बोधन) + (पदपूरणार्थं न्); पितृदैवतैः (समास); भीत्या (तृतीया-हेतौ) ।
FAQs
The verse indicates ritual and ethical disqualification: when a householder’s conduct becomes adharmic, offerings associated with ancestral rites (śrāddha, pitṛ-yajña) lose their sanctity and are not received by the Pitṛ-related deities.
It is a moral metaphor: righteousness does not remain where actions, livelihood, or household practices violate dharmic standards; such a home becomes spiritually inhospitable, so ‘Dharma’ is portrayed as departing.
It teaches that ancestral rites are not merely formal rituals—personal integrity, purity of conduct, and dharmic living are essential for offerings to be spiritually effective.