Shloka 35
Rāma’s Meeting with Agastya: Gift-Ethics (Dāna) and the Tale of King Śveta
अप्यकार्यशतं कृत्वा भर्तव्या मनुरब्रवीत् । नाहं प्रतीच्छे विप्रर्षे त्वया दत्तं प्रतिग्रहं
apyakāryaśataṃ kṛtvā bhartavyā manurabravīt | nāhaṃ pratīcche viprarṣe tvayā dattaṃ pratigrahaṃ
منو نے کہا: “اگرچہ اس نے سو برے کام کیے ہوں، پھر بھی اس کی کفالت لازم ہے۔ مگر اے برہمنوں کے سردار، میں تمہارا دیا ہوا یہ عطیہ قبول نہیں کرتا۔”
Manu
Concept: Dharma requires steadfast maintenance of one’s dependent even amid repeated faults, and personal integrity may demand refusal of gifts that compromise one’s vow or conscience.
Application: Support those under your care without cruelty; set boundaries through ethical conduct rather than abandonment. Decline offerings that create obligation, conflict of interest, or inner disquiet.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In a quiet hermitage-court setting, Manu speaks with calm authority, one hand raised in a gesture of ethical restraint while a richly wrapped gift-tray remains untouched before him. The atmosphere is solemn: compassion for the dependent is affirmed, yet the refusal of the gift is firm, signaling purity of intention over material gain.","primary_figures":["Manu","a venerable brāhmaṇa donor (unnamed)","attendants/sages as witnesses"],"setting":"forest-edge āśrama hall with kusa mats, palm-leaf manuscripts, and a low wooden dais; a gift-tray with cloth, gold coins, or a cow-token placed respectfully nearby","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["sandalwood beige","ochre","deep maroon","antique gold","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Manu seated on a carved wooden seat in an āśrama hall, right hand in abhaya/teaching mudra, left hand gently refusing a gem-studded gift-tray; gold leaf halo around Manu, rich reds and greens, ornate jewelry minimal and austere, attendants and sages in the background, intricate floral borders and gold embossing emphasizing dharma and restraint.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a serene forest hermitage with delicate brushwork; Manu in simple garments, expressive refined face, the donor brāhmaṇa offering a wrapped gift; soft Himalayan-like greenery, lyrical naturalism, muted earth tones with a touch of vermilion, fine linework on manuscripts and kusa mats.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and natural pigments; Manu with large stylized eyes, seated under a thatched āśrama canopy; the gift-tray rendered in warm gold and red; background sages and sacred trees; dominant red/yellow/green palette with rhythmic ornamental patterns.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: dharma-themed court-āśrama tableau framed by lotus and tulasi motifs; central figure Manu refusing a gift-tray; intricate floral borders, deep indigo accents and gold highlights; peacocks at the edges and stylized foliage, devotional ambience even in a non-Krishna scene."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","crackling oil lamp","forest birds","gentle silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: apyakāryaśataṃ→api akāryaśatam; manurabravīt→manuḥ abravīt; nāhaṃ→na aham; viprarṣe→vipra-ṛṣe.
FAQs
It teaches a duty-based ethic: one should continue to provide maintenance/support even when the dependent has committed serious faults, emphasizing responsibility over retaliation.
The verse frames gift-acceptance as morally sensitive; Manu declines the offered gift, implying that the circumstances, source, or propriety of receiving it is not dharmically acceptable.
Alongside cosmological narratives, the Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa also preserves normative teachings; this verse highlights applied dharma—household duty (maintenance) and the ethics of receiving gifts.