Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 11
The Birth of King Pṛthu: Vena’s Fall, the Sages’ Churning, and Earth’s Surrender
सुमूर्खाय सुमोहाय कुशिष्याय तथैव च । श्रद्धाहीनाय कूटाय सर्वनाशाय मा द्विजाः
sumūrkhāya sumohāya kuśiṣyāya tathaiva ca | śraddhāhīnāya kūṭāya sarvanāśāya mā dvijāḥ
يا أيها المولودون مرتين، لا تُلقِنوه للغبيّ غاية الغباء، ولا للمُضلَّل، ولا للتلميذ السيّئ؛ ولا لمن لا شَرَدها له، ولا للمزوِّر المخادع، ولا لمن يتجه إلى الهلاك التام.
Unspecified (context-dependent admonition within the narrative)
Concept: Misplaced instruction harms both teacher and teaching; dharma requires viveka (discernment) about who receives potent knowledge and practices.
Application: Do not entrust sacred practices, personal vows, or transformative teachings to those who mock, manipulate, or lack integrity; cultivate teachability and humility to become a ‘good disciple’.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stern yet compassionate teacher points to a scroll listing the traits of unfit recipients, while the brāhmaṇas nod solemnly. In a symbolic side-panel, figures embody folly, delusion, and deceit—one with clouded eyes, one tangled in serpentine shadows—walking toward a dark chasm labeled ‘nāśa’.","primary_figures":["ācārya/narrator","dvija assembly","allegorical figures: mūrkha, moha-grasta, kuśiṣya, śaṭha"],"setting":"Didactic hall within an āśrama; a boundary of light around the teaching circle; outside it, a darker grove representing moral confusion.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["charcoal black","burnt umber","lamp-gold","ash gray","crimson"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central guru with gold halo and ornate throne-like seat; brāhmaṇas in reverent posture; side vignette shows allegorical fools and deceitful figures with darkened faces near a precipice; heavy gold leaf, rich maroons and greens, embossed borders emphasizing warning and sanctity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined hermitage scene with gentle faces; a subtle moral allegory in the background—misty figures drifting toward a shadowed ravine; cool blues/greens contrasted with warm saffron garments; delicate brushwork conveying psychological states (moha, śaṭhatā).","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: iconic, high-contrast figures; the teacher’s admonition in bold gesture; allegorical ‘moha’ rendered as a coiling serpent motif around a figure; strong red/yellow/green palette with black outlines, temple-wall symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central teaching circle framed by floral borders; outside the border, stylized dark motifs (thorny vines, serpents) representing unfitness; deep indigo ground with gold and vermilion highlights, emphasizing the protected sanctum of śravaṇa."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["sharp bell accents","low ominous drone","wind through trees","sudden silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तथैव = तथा + एव; अन्यत्र स्पष्ट-सन्धि नहीं।
FAQs
It warns that sacred teaching should not be given to those who are foolish, deluded, faithless, deceitful, or otherwise unfit as disciples.
Dvija (“twice-born”) commonly refers to the initiated classes (especially Brahmins) and, by extension, to those qualified to study and transmit Vedic or sacred knowledge.
It reflects the principle of adhikāra (eligibility): knowledge should be transmitted responsibly, with discernment about the recipient’s character, sincerity, and capacity.