Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 1
Episode of Vena: The Power of Association and Revā (Narmadā) Tīrtha
ऋषय ऊचुः । योऽसौ वेनस्त्वयाख्यातः पापाचारेण वर्तितः । तस्य पापस्य का वृत्तिः किं फलं प्राप्तवान्द्विज
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | yo'sau venastvayākhyātaḥ pāpācāreṇa vartitaḥ | tasya pāpasya kā vṛttiḥ kiṃ phalaṃ prāptavāndvija
ঋষিগণ বললেন—হে দ্বিজ, যে বেনকে তুমি পাপাচারে রত বলে বর্ণনা করেছ, তার পাপের গতি কী ছিল এবং সে কী ফল লাভ করেছিল?
Ṛṣis (sages)
Concept: Sin has a discernible trajectory (vṛtti) and consequence (phala); dharmic discourse begins with precise inquiry into cause-and-effect.
Application: Before judging a person or event, ask: what actions led here, and what consequences follow? Use inquiry to correct conduct early.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A forest hermitage assembly: austere sages seated in a semicircle, their faces intent with moral curiosity as they question the narrator about King Vena’s sinful path and its outcome. Palm-leaf manuscripts and a small sacrificial fire glow softly, suggesting that the inquiry itself is a sacred act.","primary_figures":["Ṛṣis (sages)","Purāṇic narrator (implied)"],"setting":"Forest āśrama with kuśa-grass seats, yajña-kuṇḍa, hanging water pots, and distant sal trees","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["saffron ochre","smoke gray","leaf green","earth brown","fire-ember orange"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a solemn rishi-sabha in an āśrama, sages with rudrākṣa and matted hair seated around a small homa fire, ornate gold leaf highlighting the fire, halos around principal sages, rich maroon and emerald textiles, gem-studded water pot and manuscript details, South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate rishis under tall sal and deodar-like trees, cool greens and soft browns, fine facial features and expressive eyes, a tiny homa fire with curling smoke, distant hills and a stream, lyrical composition emphasizing attentive questioning.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, warm ochres and greens, stylized sages with large almond eyes, a central homa fire rendered in red-yellow gradients, temple-wall aesthetic with floral borders, minimal depth but strong narrative clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a devotional narrative panel with ornate floral borders and lotus motifs framing a rishi assembly, deep indigo background with gold highlights, stylized trees and birds, the homa fire as a central sacred emblem, intricate textile-like patterning."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["forest birds","soft crackle of sacrificial fire","gentle wind through leaves","brief silence between questions"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यः+असौ → योऽसौ; वेनः+त्वया+आख्यातः → वेनस्त्वयाख्यातः (ः + त् → स्; त्वया+आख्यातः → त्वयाख्यातः); पाप+आचारेण → पापाचारेण; प्राप्तवान्+द्विज → प्राप्तवान्द्विज (न् before द्).
FAQs
A group of sages (ṛṣis) are speaking, addressing a “dvija” (a twice-born, typically a brahmin narrator/teacher) who has been recounting the story of King Vena.
The verse foregrounds karma-phala (the fruit of actions): it asks how sinful conduct unfolds (vṛtti) and what consequence (phala) it produces.
Vena is commonly presented as a paradigmatic adhārmic ruler; invoking him frames a lesson on how deviation from dharma leads to specific outcomes, reinforcing moral causality in Purāṇic narrative.