Shloka 190
The Five Great Sacrifices: Supremacy of Honoring Parents, Pativrata Dharma, Truthfulness, and Śrāddha
सदा तिष्ठामि धर्मज्ञ मुहूर्तं न त्यजाम्यहम् । तेन पश्यंति मां नित्यं ये त्वन्ये पापकृज्जनाः
sadā tiṣṭhāmi dharmajña muhūrtaṃ na tyajāmyaham | tena paśyaṃti māṃ nityaṃ ye tvanye pāpakṛjjanāḥ
اے دھرم کے جاننے والے! میں ہمیشہ یہیں ٹھہرا رہتا ہوں؛ میں ایک مُہورت کے لیے بھی نہیں جاتا۔ اسی سبب دوسرے وہ لوگ جو برابر گناہ کرتے ہیں، مجھے نِتّ دیکھتے رہتے ہیں۔
Unspecified (context-dependent; the verse is spoken in first person by an unidentified narrator/being addressing a 'dharmajña')
Concept: No act is truly hidden; the moral order has an ever-present witness, and habitual sin keeps one in the gaze of consequence.
Application: Cultivate inner accountability: pause before harmful actions, practice daily self-audit (svādhyāya), and replace repeated vice with a small repeated vow (niyama) aligned to dharma.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A shadowed village crossroads where a habitual sinner pauses mid-act, sensing an unseen presence. Above and within the scene, a subtle, luminous form of the inner Witness pervades—eyes like calm stars—while the dharmajña stands steady, holding a palm-leaf manuscript, embodying conscience and discernment.","primary_figures":["Antaryāmin (subtle Vishnu-as-witness)","dharmajña (righteous knower)","pāpakṛt-jana (habitual sinner)"],"setting":"Twilight street near a small shrine; faint incense smoke, a banyan tree, and a distant temple spire suggesting moral order amid ordinary life.","lighting_mood":"moonlit with divine radiance","color_palette":["indigo night","smoky violet","lamp-flame amber","ashen gray","soft gold aura"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Antaryāmin Vishnu depicted as a subtle, all-pervading presence behind the scene, with a small shrine and banyan tree; gold leaf halo radiating outward like concentric moral ‘witness’ rings; rich crimson and emerald accents on garments; gem-studded ornaments on the dharmajña; the sinner rendered in muted tones to contrast the divine glow; traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a lyrical twilight village scene with delicate linework; the dharmajña in calm posture holding a manuscript; the sinner glancing back in fear; a translucent Vishnu-witness suggested through a faint aureole in the sky and a mirrored reflection in a water pot; cool blues and violets with fine facial expressions and gentle naturalism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and temple-wall composition; Antaryāmin Vishnu as a large, serene face-aura occupying the upper register, eyes compassionate yet unblinking; below, the dharmajña and sinner in narrative panels; natural pigment palette with strong reds, yellows, and greens, and stylized lotus motifs framing the moral theme.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a moral allegory framed by lotus and creeper borders; central subtle Vishnu aura above a small shrine; peacocks perched on a banyan branch; deep blue ground with gold highlights; the dharmajña placed near a lamp-lit tulasi-like pedestal (symbolic, not explicit) to evoke purity; intricate floral filigree emphasizing omnipresence."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["single temple bell","low drone (tanpura)","distant conch shell","night insects","brief silence after key pāda"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: त्यजाम्यहम् = त्यजामि + अहम्; त्वन्ये = तु + अन्ये; पापकृज्जनाः = पापकृत् + जनाः (त् + ज → ज्ज)
FAQs
It stresses unwavering presence (“I do not leave even for a muhūrta”) and links moral conduct to perception: habitual wrongdoers are said to continually encounter/“see” the speaker, implying an inescapable moral witness or consequence.
No. The verse is ethical and dialogic in tone and does not name places, rivers, or pilgrimage sites.
By addressing a “dharmajña” and emphasizing constancy, it frames dharma as something continuously present—wrong action is not hidden and remains exposed to an ever-present moral/spiritual reality.