Shloka 4
The Glory of Truthful Oaths and Keeping One’s Promise
Satya & Pratijñā
धेनूनां तु शतं दत्त्वा यत्फलं लभते नरः । तस्मात्कोटिगुणं पुण्यं प्रतिज्ञापालने द्विज
dhenūnāṃ tu śataṃ dattvā yatphalaṃ labhate naraḥ | tasmātkoṭiguṇaṃ puṇyaṃ pratijñāpālane dvija
اے دْوِج! سو گایوں کے دان سے انسان جو ثواب پاتا ہے، وعدہ نبھانے سے اس سے کروڑ گنا زیادہ پُنّیہ حاصل ہوتا ہے۔
Unspecified (narrator addressing a brāhmaṇa as 'dvija')
Concept: Pratijñā-pālana (keeping one’s promise) yields merit surpassing even major dāna like gifting a hundred cows—truthful reliability is a superlative dharmic act.
Application: Treat commitments as sacred; align speech and action; if you cannot fulfill, do not promise—this preserves dharma in family, work, and spiritual vows.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A symbolic scale appears: on one side, a hundred white cows with golden horns; on the other, a single radiant vow-scroll marked ‘satya’. The vow side shines brighter, suggesting that integrity outweighs even lavish charity, while sages look on in solemn approval.","primary_figures":["a brāhmaṇa teacher (dvija addressed)","symbolic cows (dāna)","personified Satya/Pratijñā as a radiant scroll or deity-like figure","listening sages"],"setting":"Didactic vision-scene within an āśrama clearing, with a moral ‘balance’ motif and a faint celestial glow.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["milk white","antique gold","sky blue","saffron","charcoal black"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central golden balance scale with embossed gold leaf; left pan shows a procession of white cows with ornate harnesses; right pan shows a radiant vow-scroll with conch-chakra motifs; sages in rich red/green garments; heavy gold ornamentation and symmetrical composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: poetic allegory—gentle cows in a meadow-like āśrama edge; a luminous scroll representing pratijñā; sages with refined expressions; cool blues and soft greens with delicate linework and subtle glow effects.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined balance scale; stylized cows and a glowing satya emblem; warm red/yellow/green pigments; decorative borders with dharma symbols; temple-wall narrative clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate lotus border; central allegorical scale; cows rendered in Nathdwara-inspired manner; deep indigo background with gold highlights; conch and chakra motifs woven into floral patterns to signal Vaiṣṇava valuation of satya."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["conch shell","temple bells","group ‘sadhu’ murmur","sacred fire crackle"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यत्फलम् → यत्-फलम्; तस्मात्कोटिगुणम् → तस्मात् + कोटि-गुणम्.
FAQs
The verse praises pratijñā-pālana—keeping one’s promise or vow—as a supreme form of dharma.
Go-dāna (gifting cows) is a widely recognized high-merit charity in Purāṇic literature; the verse uses it as a benchmark to show that truthfulness and fidelity to one’s word are even more meritorious.
It teaches that integrity—honoring commitments and speaking truthfully—has profound spiritual value, surpassing even major ritualized acts of charity when measured as merit.