Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 15
Exposition of Sin and Merit
Sumanas Episode: Yama’s Realm and Rebirths
मरणं च स पापात्मा एवं याति सुनिश्चितम् । एवं पापस्य संयोगं भुंक्ते चैव सु दुर्मतिः
maraṇaṃ ca sa pāpātmā evaṃ yāti suniścitam | evaṃ pāpasya saṃyogaṃ bhuṃkte caiva su durmatiḥ
وهكذا فإن صاحبَ النفس الآثمة يلقى الموت يقينًا على هذا النحو؛ وهكذا فإن شديدَ الضلال يذوق حقًّا عاقبةَ اقترانه بالإثم.
Unspecified (narratorial voice within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: Association with sin (pāpa-saṅga) binds one to suffering and death; misguided choices mature into unavoidable results.
Application: Audit one’s influences—friends, media, habits; replace harmful association with satsanga, scripture reading, and service; practice small daily vows (niyamas) to prevent relapse into ‘pāpa-saṅga’.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A lone figure stands at the threshold between a dark naraka corridor and a pale, wind-swept cremation ground, symbolizing the certainty of death. Behind him, shadowy forms of ‘pāpa’ cling like chains; ahead, a faint path of light suggests the possibility of turning toward dharma and devotion.","primary_figures":["a sinful soul (jīva)","personified Pāpa (shadow forms)"],"setting":"liminal passage: naraka gate fading into a cremation-ground horizon with a distant temple silhouette","lighting_mood":"twilight transition from darkness to faint dawn","color_palette":["smoky violet","ash gray","pale gold","deep maroon","indigo"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a moral allegory with the jīva centered, one side framed by dark flames and iron chains, the other by a small golden temple arch in the distance; gold leaf highlighting the ‘path of dharma’ and ornamental borders, rich reds and greens used to contrast bondage and refuge.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a poetic twilight landscape with subtle gradients, the jīva rendered with delicate expression of remorse; a distant shrine and a thin river-like band of light guiding forward; refined linework and restrained palette emphasizing contemplation.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: symbolic composition with bold outlines—left side dense black-red naraka motifs, right side warm yellow-gold dharma motifs; the jīva in the center with expressive eyes, stylized chains as curling serpentine forms.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central figure surrounded by two concentric borders—inner border of thorny vines (pāpa-saṅga), outer border of lotus buds opening toward light; deep blue ground with gold and pink accents, devotional ornamental symmetry used for ethical teaching."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft tanpura drone","distant bell","gentle wind","brief silence after key words like 'niścitām'"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चैव = च + एव (सन्धि). पापात्मा, दुर्मतिः समासपदानि.
FAQs
It teaches moral causality: a person who persists in sin surely meets an inauspicious end and must bear the results produced by association with wrongdoing.
It implies connection or entanglement with sin—habitual wrongdoing and/or keeping company with sinful influences—leading to inevitable karmic consequences.
Purāṇas commonly stress that actions and associations shape destiny; this verse reiterates that sinful conduct brings certain outcomes, including suffering and an inevitable reckoning at death.