Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 64
Sukalā’s Narrative (within the Vena Episode): Varāha, Ikṣvāku, and the Dharma of Battle
कस्माल्लोभाद्भयाद्वापि युध्यमानः प्रणश्यति । रणतीर्थं परित्यज्य सस्यात्पापी न संशयः
kasmāllobhādbhayādvāpi yudhyamānaḥ praṇaśyati | raṇatīrthaṃ parityajya sasyātpāpī na saṃśayaḥ
من هلك وهو يقاتل بسبب الطمع أو الخوف، فقد ترك ميدان القتال، وهو ميدان الواجب المقدّس، فيصير آثمًا؛ لا ريب في ذلك.
Unspecified (narrative instruction within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa context; exact speaker not provided in the input verse)
Concept: Svadharma in crisis is sacred; to desert one’s righteous station from lobha (greed) or bhaya (fear) is adharma.
Application: In modern life, do not abandon responsibilities (family care, ethical work, truth-speaking) out of fear or greed; if you must withdraw, do so for dharmic reasons, not self-serving impulses.
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A battlefield is depicted not as mere violence but as a sanctified crossing-place: a faint tīrtha-like aura rises from the ground where a warrior stands firm, while shadowy figures flee into darkness labeled by their posture as greed and fear. The earth itself appears as witness, with a subtle lotus-chakra motif embedded in the dust to signify sacred duty.","primary_figures":["Steadfast warrior (archetype of svadharma)","Fleeing figures embodying greed and fear","Implied dharma-presence (aura/chakra motif)"],"setting":"Open battlefield with churned earth, fallen banners, and a central ‘consecrated’ patch of ground treated like an altar-space.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["sunlit gold","earth brown","crimson","smoke gray","indigo shadow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Central warrior upright with gold-leaf halo-like aura emerging from the ground (raṇa-tīrtha), ornate armor with gem accents; fleeing figures in darker tones at the margins; embossed gold lotus-chakra motif on the earth, rich reds and greens, temple-iconographic symmetry despite the battlefield setting.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: Kurukṣetra-like plain with delicate dust clouds; central figure calm and resolute; fleeing silhouettes softened into moral allegory; luminous wash on the ‘sacred ground’ area, refined linework and restrained drama.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Bold outlines, strong stance and expressive eyes of the steadfast warrior; red-yellow-green palette with black smoke contours; stylized sacred aura on the ground like a mandala, temple-wall gravitas.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Battlefield transformed into a symbolic mandala-field; ornate borders with lotus motifs; central ‘tīrtha’ patch rendered as a decorative oval with gold detailing; figures arranged in moral tableau, deep blues and gold accents."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"authoritative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["conch shell","martial drum","temple bell overlay","wind across open plain"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: kasmāllobhāt = kasmāt + lobhāt; lobhādbhayāt = lobhāt + bhayāt; bhayādvāpi = bhayāt + vā + api; sasyāt = saḥ + syāt.
FAQs
It frames the battlefield as a sacred arena of duty (tīrtha), where one’s conduct is morally weighty; abandoning it from ignoble motives is treated as a spiritual fault.
No. It criticizes the motive and dereliction: perishing or failing due to greed or fear, and effectively forsaking one’s righteous duty, is what is called sinful here.
Steadfastness in duty and purity of motive: fear-driven or greed-driven action (or retreat) corrupts dharma, whereas disciplined courage aligns action with righteousness.