Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 5
The Sukalā Account in the Vena Episode: Krikala, Pilgrimage, and the Primacy of Wifely-Dharma
स्वयं संतोषमाप्नोषि नहि ते पुण्यमुत्तमम् । एवं श्रुत्वा ततो वैश्यः कृकलो दुःखपीडितः
svayaṃ saṃtoṣamāpnoṣi nahi te puṇyamuttamam | evaṃ śrutvā tato vaiśyaḥ kṛkalo duḥkhapīḍitaḥ
«تنال الرضا لنفسك، ولكنك لا تنال أعلى الثواب.» فلما سمع ذلك التاجر كْرِكالا (Kṛkala) اعتراه الحزن وأثقلته الكآبة.
Unspecified (contextual narrator/teacher addressing someone; exact speaker not given in the provided excerpt)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Sandhi Resolution Notes: संतोषमाप्नोषि = संतोषम् + आप्नोषि; नहि = न + हि; पुण्यमुत्तमम् = पुण्यम् + उत्तमम्; दुःखपीडितः (समास)
FAQs
It distinguishes personal satisfaction (saṃtoṣa) from attaining the “highest merit” (uttama puṇya), implying that mere self-contentment is not the same as the सर्वोच्च धार्मिक फल.
Kṛkala is identified as a vaiśya (merchant). The verse states that upon hearing the statement about merit, he becomes distressed, indicating a moral or spiritual concern in the surrounding narrative.
The verse suggests that ethical/spiritual excellence requires more than inward comfort; one must act or live in a way that yields higher dharmic merit, not merely personal ease.