Padma Purana — Svarga Khanda, Shloka 25

Dharma of the Conduct of the Vānaprastha Āśrama

Forest-Dweller Discipline

Devanagari script

पुष्पमूलफलैर्वापि केवलैर्वर्तयेत्सदा । स्वाभाविकैः स्वयंशीर्णैर्वैखानसमते स्थितः

Transliteration

puṣpamūlaphalairvāpi kevalairvartayetsadā | svābhāvikaiḥ svayaṃśīrṇairvaikhānasamate sthitaḥ

Translation

বৈখানস-ধর্মে স্থিত হয়ে সর্বদা কেবল পুষ্প, মূল ও ফল দ্বারা জীবনধারণ করুক—যা স্বাভাবিক এবং নিজে থেকেই ঝরে পড়েছে, সেইগুলিই গ্রহণ করুক॥

Word by Word

• पुष्प-मूल-फलैः: with flowers, roots, and fruits
• पुष्प-मूल-फलैः: करण (Karaṇa/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प + मूल + फल (प्रातिपदिक) (समाहार)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter, samāhāra-dvandva), तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (plural); समाहार-द्वन्द्व: “पुष्पाणि च मूलानि च फलानि च”

• वा: or
• वा: विकल्प (alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पबोधक अव्यय (or)

• अपि: also
• अपि: सम्बन्ध (particle: addition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/सम्भावनार्थक अव्यय (also/even)

• केवलैः: only, mere
• केवलैः: विशेषण (qualifier of instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: केवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (agreeing with पुष्पमूलफलैः as samāhāra), तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (plural)

• वर्तयेत्: should subsist/live
• वर्तयेत्: क्रिया (verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु) (णिच्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद; धातु: वृत् ‘वर्तने’ (to subsist/continue) with causative sense “to maintain oneself”

• सदा: always
• सदा: काल (time adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), नित्यत्ववाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• स्वाभाविकैः: natural
• स्वाभाविकैः: विशेषण (qualifier of instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + भाविक (प्रातिपदिक) [स्वाभाविक]
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (agreeing with implied ‘फलैः’ etc.), तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (plural); कर्मधारय: “स्वभावेन भवति इति” (natural)

• स्वयम्-शीर्णैः: fallen by themselves
• स्वयम्-शीर्णैः: विशेषण (qualifier of instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय) + शीर्ण (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) [स्वयम्-शीर्ण]
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (agreeing with instrument plural), तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; शीर्ण = कृदन्त (past participle) from धातु √शॄ/शृ ‘क्षये/पतने’ (to fall/decay) meaning “fallen”; कर्मधारय: “स्वयमेव शीर्ण”

• वैखानस-मते: in the Vaikhānasa tradition
• वैखानस-मते: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location: domain)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैखानस + मत (प्रातिपदिक) [वैखानस-मत]
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुष: “वैखानसानां मतम्” (in the Vaikhānasa doctrine/discipline)

• स्थितः: abiding (following)
• स्थितः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject; describing the practitioner)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) (कृदन्त) → स्थित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); कर्तरि प्रयोग: “standing/abiding”

Speaker

Unspecified (context not provided; likely within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma instruction section typical of Svargakhaṇḍa)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: forest

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: फलैर्वापि = फलैः + वा + अपि; केवलैर्वर्तयेत्सदा = केवलैः + वर्तयेत् + सदा; स्वयंशीर्णैर्वैखानसमते = स्वयम्-शीर्णैः + वैखानस-मते

Characters & Entities

• Vaikhānasa

FAQs

What practice does this verse recommend for an ascetic or devotee?

It recommends subsisting on simple forest produce—flowers, roots, and fruits—specifically those that are natural and self-fallen, as part of the Vaikhānasa discipline.

Why does the verse emphasize 'fallen by themselves' (svayaṁśīrṇa)?

It implies a non-injurious, non-grasping mode of living: taking what comes without harming plants or aggressively collecting, aligning with restraint and ahiṁsā.

What is the ethical lesson conveyed here?

The verse teaches restraint, contentment, and minimizing harm—supporting spiritual life through simple, ethically obtained sustenance.