Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 40
The Aśokasundarī–Nahuṣa Episode: Demon Stratagems, Protection by Merit, and Lineage Prophecy
मा कृथा दारुणं दुःखं मुंच शोकमकारणम् । स हि जीवति धर्मात्मा मात्रा पित्रा विना वने
mā kṛthā dāruṇaṃ duḥkhaṃ muṃca śokamakāraṇam | sa hi jīvati dharmātmā mātrā pitrā vinā vane
لا تستسلمي لحزنٍ مروّع كهذا؛ واتركي هذا الأسى الذي لا سبب له. فإنّ ذلك صاحب النفس التقيّة حيٌّ حقًّا، يقيم في الغابة من غير أمٍّ ولا أب.
Unspecified (context-dependent dialogue within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa; exact speaker not identifiable from the single verse alone)
Concept: Do not succumb to needless grief; dharmic life persists even amid separation and hardship.
Application: When anxious, pause and verify facts; practice steadiness, prayer, and constructive action rather than spiraling sorrow.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: forest
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sorrowing woman sits with loosened hair and tearful eyes, while a calm sage or elder gently raises a hand in reassurance, pointing toward a distant forest path. In the background, the dharmic youth is glimpsed alive in a quiet hermitage grove, gathering firewood beneath tall sal trees—small, but unmistakably safe.","primary_figures":["Grieving mother/queen figure","Consoling speaker (sage/elder/minister)","Dharmic youth in the forest (dharmaatma)"],"setting":"Hermitage outskirts with a visible transition from palace sorrow to forest serenity; a simple hut, yajna smoke, and deer nearby.","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["earth brown","leaf green","saffron ochre","soft ivory","twilight violet"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: foreground grieving lady with ornate yet subdued jewelry, consoling sage with gold leaf halo, background vignette of the youth in a forest hermitage, embossed gold details on borders and halos, rich warm tones balanced with green foliage, devotional calm overcoming sorrow.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate emotional scene with delicate expressions, the consoling gesture rendered with fine brushwork, layered forest greens and a pale sky, distant hermitage painted with lyrical naturalism, soft color gradations emphasizing the shift from grief to hope.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized sorrow and reassurance with bold outlines, expressive eyes, simplified forest forms, red/yellow/green palette, a clear narrative split—foreground grief, background hermitage safety—like a temple storytelling panel.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central consoling tableau framed by floral borders, lotus motifs symbolizing renewed hope, peacocks at corners, deep blue-green ground, subtle gold highlights; the forest hermitage appears as a small narrative medallion within the textile composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["gentle silence","distant flowing water","soft bell chime","evening birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शोकमकारणम् = शोकम् + अकारणम्; (पाठे ‘मुंच’ = ‘मुञ्च’)
FAQs
It counsels restraint in grief: one should not indulge in groundless sorrow, especially when the virtuous person in question is still alive.
“Dharmātmā” indicates a person whose inner nature is aligned with dharma; the verse uses this as reassurance that such a person endures—even in hardship like living in a forest without parental support.
It promotes emotional steadiness and discernment: do not amplify suffering through unfounded assumptions, and respond to distress with clarity and trust in dharma.