Shloka 12
Exposition of the Duties of Ascetics
Saṃnyāsa-Dharma
आत्मनैव सहायेन सुखार्थं विचरेदिह । नाभिनंदेत मरणं नाभिनंदेत जीवनम्
ātmanaiva sahāyena sukhārthaṃ vicarediha | nābhinaṃdeta maraṇaṃ nābhinaṃdeta jīvanam
یہاں انسان کو اپنے ہی آتما کو مددگار بنا کر سُکھ و کلیان کی خاطر جینا چاہیے؛ نہ موت کا خیرمقدم کرے، نہ زندگی کا۔
Unspecified (narrative instruction within Svarga-khaṇḍa; exact speaker not provided in the input).
Concept: Live with the Self as one’s sole support; maintain equanimity toward life and death, avoiding craving and aversion.
Application: Practice daily reflection on impermanence, reduce emotional bargaining with outcomes, and cultivate steady service/devotion without anxiety about longevity or mortality.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An ascetic sits alone on a rock ledge overlooking a vast sky, hands resting in a simple mudrā, eyes half-closed in unshaken calm. On either side, faint symbolic forms—an hourglass of time and a gently extinguishing lamp—hover like metaphors for life and death, neither attracting nor repelling him.","primary_figures":["yogin/ascetic (solitary seeker)"],"setting":"high cliff or riverbank plateau with open horizon, minimal belongings, a small water pot placed aside as a symbol of simplicity","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["deep indigo","ash white","soft gold","stone gray","sage green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: solitary yogin seated in perfect symmetry with a luminous gold leaf aura, symbolic lamp and hourglass rendered as sacred emblems, rich maroon and emerald accents in the border, ornate yet restrained ornamentation to emphasize inner sovereignty.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a quiet cliff scene with expansive sky wash, delicate lines on the yogin’s face showing equanimity, cool blues and grays, a thin river ribbon below, lyrical emptiness conveying ‘ātmanā eva sahāyena’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, large tranquil eyes, stylized horizon bands, red/yellow/green pigments with a pale golden aura, minimal props (kamaṇḍalu, staff) to stress non-dependence.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central meditative figure framed by lotus and vine borders, deep blue ground with gold highlights, symbolic motifs of lamp and time woven into the border medallions, serene devotional stillness rather than narrative bustle."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["long tanpura drone","soft conch in distance","wind hush","silence after each line"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ātmanaiva = ātmanā + eva; vicarediha = vicaret + iha; nābhinaṃdeta = na + abhinaṃdeta (a+a→ā).
FAQs
It teaches self-reliant living grounded in inner support, along with equanimity—neither craving life nor desiring death.
It promotes balanced detachment (vairāgya): performing life responsibly while avoiding emotional extremes toward survival or self-destruction.
Rely on inner steadiness, pursue wholesome well-being, and meet both life’s continuance and its end without attachment or aversion.