Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 15
Glory of Guru-tīrtha and the Kubjā Confluence: How Festival Bathing Removes Grave Sin
यं यं तीर्थं प्रयांत्येते सर्वे तीर्था द्विजोत्तम । हंसरूपेण वै यांति तैः सार्द्धं तु सुदुःखिताः
yaṃ yaṃ tīrthaṃ prayāṃtyete sarve tīrthā dvijottama | haṃsarūpeṇa vai yāṃti taiḥ sārddhaṃ tu suduḥkhitāḥ
يا خيرَ ذوي الميلادين، إلى أيّ تيرثا يمضي هؤلاء، تمضي معها جميعُ التيرثات أيضًا—حقًّا في هيئةِ الإوزّ المقدّس—وترافقهم وهي في غايةِ الكرب.
Unknown (context not provided; likely within a Purāṇic dialogue such as Pulastya speaking to Bhīṣma in Bhūmi-khaṇḍa)
Concept: When beings carry unresolved pāpa, even contact with tīrthas becomes troubled; sacredness demands inner alignment, not mere travel.
Application: Do not treat rituals as loopholes; pair pilgrimage with confession, restitution, and disciplined living so that purification ‘settles’ rather than remaining agitated.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A surreal procession of swan-formed tīrthas lifts from one riverbank to another, as if the very sanctuaries are migrating. Behind them trail shadowy, grief-stricken figures—faces downcast, garments torn by wind—suggesting that unresolved sin clings like a storm cloud even to holy waters.","primary_figures":["swan-formed tīrthas (personified)","distressed companions (pāpa-afflicted beings)","a witnessing dvijottama (addressed)"],"setting":"Multiple river confluences stitched together like dream geography; ghats, forest edges, and distant shrine silhouettes repeating in sequence.","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["midnight blue","silver","ashen gray","pale lotus pink","smoky violet"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic diagonal flight of swans with gold-leaf accents on wings and water; below, distressed figures in muted tones; ornate temple arches and confluence motifs; high-contrast composition with gem-like highlights on tīrtha emblems (kalasha, shankha).","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: dreamlike landscape panels showing repeated ghats; swans in elegant arcs; sorrowful figures rendered with delicate expressions; cool nocturne palette with fine white linework for ripples and moonlight.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized swans as tīrtha-spirits with emblematic markings; bold outlines, rhythmic patterning of water bands; distressed figures with expressive eyes; decorative borders of lotus and creepers in earthy pigments.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a circular mandala of tīrthas as swans around a central dark cloud of distress; intricate floral borders, deep indigo ground with gold lotuses; peacocks at corners, symbolic shankha-chakra motifs indicating the holy order being disturbed."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["night wind","distant water roar","low temple bell","occasional conch"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रयान्ति + एते → प्रयांत्येते; (छान्दस) यान्ति written as यांति in Devanagari.
FAQs
It portrays tīrthas as spiritually responsive realities: wherever the pilgrims go, the sanctifying power of tīrthas is said to accompany that movement, poetically described as ‘going’ in swan-form.
The haṃsa is a classical symbol of purity and discernment; describing tīrthas as ‘haṃsa-rūpa’ emphasizes their sanctity and subtle, mobile presence rather than merely fixed geography.
The line implies that mere travel to sacred places is not automatically liberating; if one approaches tīrthas with wrong intention or unresolved wrongdoing, the result can be inner anguish rather than peace.