Shloka 3
Dharma of the Renunciant: Alms Discipline, Meditation, and Expiations
सप्तागारं चरेद्भैक्ष्यमलाभे न पुनश्चरेत् । गोदोहमात्रं तिष्ठेत कालं भिक्षुरधोमुखः
saptāgāraṃ caredbhaikṣyamalābhe na punaścaret | godohamātraṃ tiṣṭheta kālaṃ bhikṣuradhomukhaḥ
بھکشا کے لیے سات گھروں تک جائے؛ اگر نہ ملے تو دوبارہ نہ جائے۔ بھکشو سر جھکائے اتنی ہی دیر ٹھہرے جتنی دیر گائے دوہنے میں لگتی ہے۔
Unspecified (didactic injunction within Svargakhaṇḍa 60; speaker not identifiable from the single verse alone)
Concept: A bhikṣu must keep the alms-round strictly bounded (seven houses, no second attempt) and minimize social presence (brief stay, downcast gaze) to protect inner solitude.
Application: Practice ‘limited attempts’ and ‘time-boxing’; accept outcomes without second-guessing; cultivate modest body language that reduces ego-display.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A mendicant moves from door to door, counting silently on his fingers until seven, then stops. Receiving nothing, he turns away without agitation and sits under a tree, face lowered, waiting only the brief ‘cow-milking’ span—his stillness contrasting with the village’s motion.","primary_figures":["Bhikṣu (mendicant)","Village householders (background)"],"setting":"Village edge with seven modest homes; a shaded tree or small shrine platform where the bhikṣu pauses briefly.","lighting_mood":"soft overcast calm","color_palette":["ash gray","saffron","mud brown","pale sky blue","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: bhikṣu with tri-daṇḍa and bowl before a row of seven stylized houses; gold-leaf accents on thresholds and halo; the ‘cow-milking’ time shown by a small vignette of a cow being milked in the corner; rich ornamental borders, devotional austerity rendered with regal finish.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: gentle village panorama with seven doorways; bhikṣu’s lowered face and minimal gesture; a small cow-milking scene in the background as a time-metaphor; cool, delicate palette and lyrical restraint.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: rhythmic sequence of seven houses; bhikṣu seated under a tree with downcast gaze; cow-milking motif as symbolic panel; bold outlines, earthy pigments, didactic clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: border of seven arch-shaped doorframes; central bhikṣu in saffron seated beneath stylized lotus-tree; small cow and milk pot motif indicating the time limit; deep blue ground with gold and white detailing, intricate floral borders."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["distant cow lowing","soft footsteps","wind through leaves","village hush","single bell chime"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: caredbhaikṣyam = caret + bhaikṣyam (t + bh → dbh); bhaikṣyamalābhe = bhaikṣyam + alābhe (m + a- sandhi); punaścaret = punaḥ + caret (visarga sandhi: ḥ + c → ś c).
FAQs
It teaches restraint and non-importunity: the bhikṣu should not burden householders or become driven by hunger into repeated solicitation.
It is a traditional short unit of time—roughly the time required to milk a cow—used to indicate that the mendicant should not linger.
It signals humility, self-control, and avoidance of distraction or social entanglement while seeking alms.