Shloka 23

Devanagari script

निष्ठुरं दुर्धरं दुष्टं दोषत्रयविदूषितम् । अशुचितापि दुर्गंधि तापत्रयविमोहितम्

Transliteration

niṣṭhuraṃ durdharaṃ duṣṭaṃ doṣatrayavidūṣitam | aśucitāpi durgaṃdhi tāpatrayavimohitam

Translation

یہ ظالم، قابو میں نہ آنے والا اور بدکار ہے—تینوں عیبوں سے آلودہ ہے۔ اگرچہ ناپاک ہے، یہ بدبودار ہے اور تین قسم کی مصیبتوں میں مبتلا ہے۔

Word by Word

• निष्ठुरम्: harsh, pitiless
• निष्ठुरम्: विशेषण (Adjectival modifier) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्ठुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण-प्रयोग

• दुर्धरम्: hard to bear/endure
• दुर्धरम्: विशेषण (Adjectival modifier) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्धर (प्रातिपदिक; दुर् + धर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण-प्रयोग

• दुष्टम्: wicked, corrupt
• दुष्टम्: विशेषण (Adjectival modifier) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; from √दुष्/दुष्-भाव, lexicalized)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण-प्रयोग

• दोष-त्रय-विदूषितम्: tainted by the three doṣas
• दोष-त्रय-विदूषितम्: विशेषण (Adjectival modifier) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दोषत्रयविदूषित (प्रातिपदिक; दोष + त्रय + विदूषित [क्त from √दूष्])
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) from धातु √दूष् (to taint), 'tainted by the three दोष-s'

• अशुचिता: impurity
• अशुचिता: हेतु/भाव (Cause/State) (भाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशुचिता (प्रातिपदिक; a-शुचि + ता)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); भाववाचक-नाम (abstract noun)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: सम्बन्ध (Particle relation) (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• दुर्गन्धि: foul-smelling
• दुर्गन्धि: विशेषण (Adjectival modifier) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्गन्धि (प्रातिपदिक; दुर् + गन्धि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); इ-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (ending in -i), विशेषण-प्रयोग

• ताप-त्रय-विमोहितम्: bewildered by the three sufferings
• ताप-त्रय-विमोहितम्: विशेषण (Adjectival modifier) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तापत्रयविमोहित (प्रातिपदिक; ताप + त्रय + विमोहित [क्त from √मुह् with vi-])
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त from धातु √मुह् (to be deluded) with उपसर्ग vi-, 'deluded by the three afflictions'

Speaker

Unspecified (context needed from surrounding verses to attribute confidently, often within a Purāṇic dialogue frame).

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The embodied condition is hard to restrain, impure, and deluded by the threefold miseries; therefore one should seek a higher shelter and discipline.

Application: Adopt a simple restraint practice: reduce one indulgence, add one act of devotion daily (nāma-japa, offering water/flower to Viṣṇu), and observe how the mind becomes more governable.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A restless, shadowed figure struggles to hold three writhing cords labeled as the ‘three doṣas,’ while above swirl three storm-clouds symbolizing tāpa-traya. A calm Viṣṇu presence—chakra and conch glowing—casts a stabilizing light that quiets the cords and clears the clouds, suggesting bhakti as the true restraint.","primary_figures":["Central struggling seeker","Allegorical doṣa-traya as three cords/serpents","Allegorical tāpa-traya as three storm-clouds","Viṣṇu (or his symbols: chakra, shankha) as pacifying radiance"],"setting":"Symbolic inner landscape: a darkened courtyard of the mind with a threshold leading into a bright temple sanctum.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["midnight blue","storm gray","acid green (subtle)","saffron gold","pearl white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Viṣṇu enthroned in a small sanctum with heavy gold leaf halo; foreground seeker bound by three stylized serpentine cords (doṣa-traya) and three cloud emblems (tāpa-traya) above; gold leaf used to ‘burn away’ the clouds, rich reds/greens, ornate borders, gem-like highlights.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: psychological allegory—seeker in a dim courtyard, three translucent clouds overhead, three cords at the feet; a distant temple doorway emits soft light with Viṣṇu’s symbols; cool blues and grays with warm saffron glow, delicate brushwork, refined facial emotion shifting from distress to calm.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: iconic composition with bold outlines—Viṣṇu aura at top, seeker below, three clouds and three serpents arranged symmetrically; strong red/yellow/green palette, temple-wall ornamentation, lotus-and-conch border motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central medallion of Viṣṇu’s chakra-shankha radiance; surrounding ring shows three clouds dissolving into lotus petals and three serpents transforming into garlands; intricate floral borders, deep blues with gold highlights, devotional symmetry."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["tanpura drone","soft conch (single)","temple bells (faint)","silence between lines"]}

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: अशुचितापि = अशुचिता + अपि; दोषत्रयविदूषितम् = दोष + त्रय + विदूषितम्; तापत्रयविमोहितम् = ताप + त्रय + विमोहितम्.

FAQs

What is meant by tāpa-traya (the threefold afflictions) in this verse?

Tāpa-traya is the classic triad of suffering: ādhyātmika (internal—body/mind), ādhibhautika (external—other beings/environment), and ādhidaivika (cosmic/divine forces). The verse says the subject is bewildered by these pressures.

What does doṣa-traya refer to here—moral faults or the Ayurvedic humors?

Doṣa-traya can denote the Ayurvedic triad (vāta, pitta, kapha) or a contextual triad of defects. Without adjacent verses, the safest reading is “a triad of faults,” while noting the common Ayurvedic resonance.

What ethical lesson does the verse convey?

It portrays a condition (often read as an untrained mind or corrupt disposition) as cruel, uncontrolled, impure, and deluded—implying that restraint, purification, and clarity are necessary to overcome suffering and moral degeneration.