Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 42
Sukalā’s Account: Ikṣvāku and Sudevā; the Boar’s Resolve and the Dharma of Battle
श्वश्रूश्वशुरकैश्चान्यैः पतिहीना न भाति सा । चंद्रहीना यथा रात्री पुत्रहीनं यथा कुलम्
śvaśrūśvaśurakaiścānyaiḥ patihīnā na bhāti sā | caṃdrahīnā yathā rātrī putrahīnaṃ yathā kulam
ولو أحاطت بها الحماة والحمو وسائر الأقارب، فإن المرأة بلا زوج لا تشرق؛ كليلٍ بلا قمر، وكأسرةٍ بلا ابن.
Unspecified (narrative voice not provided in the input excerpt)
Application: Use as a liturgical marker: pause, reflect on the kathā’s moral, and optionally dedicate merit (puṇya) to Viṣṇu before proceeding.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A palm-leaf manuscript lies open on a low wooden desk; a scribe’s stylus rests beside it as the final colophon line is freshly inked. Behind, a small Viṣṇu shrine glows with a single lamp, suggesting that the act of transmission itself is worship.","primary_figures":["scribe (lekhaka)","reciter (paurāṇika)","listeners (śrotṛ-gaṇa)","small Viṣṇu icon"],"setting":"Manuscript room in an āśrama or temple library with palm-leaf bundles and a lamp-lit shrine niche","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["warm amber","palm-leaf tan","ink black","vermilion","deep teal"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a lamp-lit shrine room with a small Viṣṇu icon in gold leaf, a scribe finishing the colophon on palm leaves, ornate arch motifs, rich reds/greens, embossed gold borders emphasizing ‘śrīpadmapurāṇe’ as sacred text-object.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate āśrama interior, delicate rendering of palm leaves and stylus, cool shadows with warm lamp pool, refined faces of attentive listeners; minimalistic elegance and fine brushwork.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized scribe and reciter with bold outlines, flat warm background, prominent lamp flame, manuscript bundles stacked; temple-wall composition with traditional pigment palette.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic ‘text as lotus’—a manuscript framed by lotus borders, central lamp before a small Viṣṇu motif, intricate floral margins, deep blue background with gold highlights, celebratory yet calm."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["single temple bell","page/palm-leaf rustle","soft drone (tanpura)","brief silence at end"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: श्वश्रूश्वशुरकैश्चान्यैः = श्वश्रूश्वशुरकैः + च + अन्यैः; पतिहीना = पति + हीना; चंद्रहीना = चन्द्र + हीना; पुत्रहीनं = पुत्र + हीनम्
FAQs
It uses two similes—moonless night and sonless family—to stress that, in the verse’s social framing, a husbandless woman is considered deprived of splendor or support even amid in-laws and relatives.
Primarily social dharma: it reflects household and lineage values typical of dharma literature rather than a direct bhakti or metaphysical doctrine.
As a historical-cultural statement from a traditional text: it reveals past norms about marriage and lineage, which can be studied critically without assuming it must prescribe modern social values.