Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 5
Exposition of Sin and Merit
Sumanas Episode: Yama’s Realm and Rebirths
ततः शीतमये मार्गे वायुना सेव्यते पुनः । तेन शीतेन दुःखी स भूत्वा याति न संशयः
tataḥ śītamaye mārge vāyunā sevyate punaḥ | tena śītena duḥkhī sa bhūtvā yāti na saṃśayaḥ
ثم يُهاجَم ثانيةً بالريح في طريقٍ من بردٍ قارس؛ وبذلك البرد يتعذّب ويمضي في شقاء، لا ريب في ذلك.
Unspecified narrator (contextual speaker not provided in the input)
Concept: Suffering follows the sinner with inevitability; karmic consequence is not random but patterned and certain (na saṃśayaḥ).
Application: Build steady sādhana that is not dependent on comfort—daily japa, truthful speech, and service—so one is not tossed by extremes.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A bleak, frost-laden road stretches under a leaden sky; wind lashes like invisible blades, whipping the traveler’s torn cloth. The condemned trudges forward, shoulders hunched, breath visible, while distant silhouettes of attendants drive him onward through the cold.","primary_figures":["Condemned traveler","Yama’s attendants (distant/partial)"],"setting":"Icy wasteland path with wind-swept snow, barren rocks, and a far-off gate of judgment","lighting_mood":"moonlit cold haze","color_palette":["glacial blue","lead gray","frost white","ink black","pale violet"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a cold-path scene rendered with stylized swirling wind motifs; gold-leaf used sparingly as icy glints on borders and ornaments; deep blues and whites dominate; the sinner shown shivering, attendants stern; traditional iconographic composition with decorative cloud bands.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate snow textures and fine wind-lines; cool palette with subtle violet shadows; the traveler small against vast emptiness; attendants as dark figures; refined facial features conveying misery without gore.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines; patterned wind spirals; flat blue-white fields; expressive eyes of the traveler; attendants in contrasting warm reds to heighten the sense of cold; temple-panel symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a winter-themed narrative panel with stylized frost-lotus motifs and swirling borders; deep indigo and white; gold highlights like starlight; procession composition leading across the cloth toward a distant dark mandala-like gate."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["howling wind","soft chime (distant)","low drone","footsteps in snow","long pauses"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: No major external sandhi beyond standard visarga changes in recitation.
FAQs
It depicts a being forced along a cold path where harsh wind intensifies suffering, emphasizing the certainty of misery as a consequence within the described journey.
The verse uses a generic “he” (saḥ) without naming a person or deity; the broader chapter context would identify whether it refers to a sinner, a departed soul, or a particular class of beings.
The imagery underscores the certainty of painful consequences—encouraging ethical living and restraint so one avoids the conditions that lead to such affliction.