Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 31
Viṣṇu’s Māyā and the Stratagem Against Vihuṇḍa
with the Kāmodā–Gaṅgādvāra motif
कामोदकं द्रुमं ब्रूहि कांतं पुष्पसमन्वितम् । शुक्र उवाच । कामोदः पादपो नास्ति योषिदेवास्ति दानव
kāmodakaṃ drumaṃ brūhi kāṃtaṃ puṣpasamanvitam | śukra uvāca | kāmodaḥ pādapo nāsti yoṣidevāsti dānava
„Sprich zu mir vom Kāmodaka-Baum, lieblich und mit Blüten geschmückt.“ Śukra erwiderte: „Einen Baum namens Kāmoda gibt es nicht; vielmehr, o Dānava, gibt es eine himmlische Jungfrau (Apsaras) namens Kāmodā.“
Śukra
Concept: Names can mislead; discern the real referent. What is sought as an object (‘tree’) may actually be a person/power (‘apsaras’), revealing the mind’s projection.
Application: Interrogate your desires: are you seeking a ‘thing’ but actually chasing a fantasy? Seek clarity from wise counsel before acting.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: forest
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a tranquil hermitage, the Dānava urgently describes a ‘blossom-laden Kāmodaka tree’, hands gesturing as if grasping fragrance. Śukra, serene and incisive, answers with a calm negation and a revealing glance—behind him, a faint ethereal silhouette of an apsaras (Kāmodā) appears like a mirage dissolving the seeker’s misconception.","primary_figures":["Śukra (Bhārgava)","Dānava seeker","Apsaras Kāmodā (subtle, revealed form)"],"setting":"Hermitage interior-veranda with manuscripts, ritual vessels, and a flowering creeper; the apsaras appears in a soft aura near a grove opening.","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["silver moonlight","pearl white","sapphire blue","soft coral","pale gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Śukra seated with a luminous gold halo, right hand in teaching gesture; the Dānava kneels, eyes wide; behind, Kāmodā apsaras emerges in translucent form with gold leaf highlights on jewelry and aura; rich red-green drapery, ornate arch, gem-like detailing on ornaments and manuscripts.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined dialogue scene—Śukra calm, the Dānava animated; a delicate, semi-transparent apsaras figure painted with light washes near a moonlit grove; cool palette, fine facial features, subtle floral detail on the imagined ‘tree’ motif fading into the background.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Śukra with bold outlines and composed expression, teaching mudrā; the Dānava in contrasting agitated posture; Kāmodā rendered as a stylized celestial figure within an aura circle; warm pigments with strong black contours, temple-wall symmetry, decorative borders with lotus and conch motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central teaching tableau framed by intricate floral borders; Śukra at center, the Dānava to one side, Kāmodā appearing as a celestial vignette; deep blue cloth ground, gold detailing, lotuses and peacocks in the border, subtle Vaishnava symbols woven into ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["tanpura drone","soft bell punctuation","night breeze through leaves","distant owl call","gentle water trickle"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नास्ति = न + अस्ति; योषिदेवास्ति = योषित् + एव + अस्ति (त् + ए → दे; सन्धि-लेखन).
FAQs
Śukra is the speaker, addressing a Dānava (a demon/Asura figure) who asked about “Kāmodaka,” thinking it was a flowering tree.
It corrects a misunderstanding: “Kāmoda/Kāmodaka” is not identified here as a tree; Śukra states that instead there is a celestial maiden named Kāmodā.
The verse models careful clarification of names and categories—encouraging discernment and precise understanding rather than assuming meanings based on appearances or sound-alike terms.