Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 117
Marks of the Debt-Bound/Enemy Son, Filial Dharma, Detachment, and the Durvāsā–Dharma Episode
दुःखेन दारुणं तीव्रं तथा सुखं कथं नहि । धर्म उवाच । येन कायेन पापाश्च संचरन्ति हि पातकम्
duḥkhena dāruṇaṃ tīvraṃ tathā sukhaṃ kathaṃ nahi | dharma uvāca | yena kāyena pāpāśca saṃcaranti hi pātakam
«Wenn es grausames, heftiges Leid gibt, warum sollte es dann nicht auch Glück geben?» Dharma sprach: «Eben jener Körper, durch den die Sünden umhergehen und Verfehlung bewirken, (ist die Ursache)».
Dharma
Concept: If the body is the instrument of intense suffering through sin, it can also be the instrument of happiness through merit; moral causality is symmetrical.
Application: Re-purpose the body: hands for charity and worship, tongue for truth and nāma-japa, feet for pradakṣiṇā and pilgrimage; replace harmful routines with devotional ones so the same ‘kāya’ becomes a source of sukha.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Dharma personified answers a seeker’s question in a luminous hall: one side shows a body entangled in dark, thorny vines labeled ‘pātaka’, while the other side shows the same body adorned with a garland of light, offering flowers at a Vishnu altar. The composition visually asserts symmetry—one instrument, two destinies—through mirrored posture and balanced iconography.","primary_figures":["Dharma (personified)","Questioning interlocutor (king/seeker)","Vishnu altar icon (symbolic)"],"setting":"A dharma-sabha with a central lotus motif floor; side panels like didactic murals showing sin-path and merit-path.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["radiant gold","lotus pink","emerald green","midnight blue","pearl white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Dharma with gold halo in upadeśa posture; mirrored panels—left: the body ensnared by dark vines; right: the same figure performing Vishnu-arcana with flowers and lamp; heavy gold leaf, rich reds/greens, ornate pillars, embossed detailing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined indoor pavilion; Dharma speaks while two small narrative vignettes flank him—sin leading to pain, devotion leading to joy; cool palette with delicate pinks and greens, lyrical symmetry, fine facial expressions.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines; Dharma central, two contrasting bodily states on either side; strong reds/yellows/greens, stylized lotus floor, temple lamp flames, characteristic large eyes.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central lotus medallion with Dharma; surrounding circular narrative band shows the same devotee turning from pātaka to pūjā; intricate floral borders, shankha-chakra motifs, deep blues and gold, abundant lotus patterns."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["conch shell (soft)","single mridang pulse","temple bells","brief hush at the question"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पापाश्च = पापाः + च; संचरन्ति = सम् + चरन्ति (upasarga); first pāda has ellipsis of verb (understood ‘bhavati/asti’ etc.).
FAQs
It links intense suffering and the possibility of happiness to karma, stating that sin operates through the body and becomes the basis for painful consequences.
Dharma is the speaker, framing the statement as an ethical principle: bodily actions are the vehicle through which sin (pāpa) manifests and ripens into results.
Guard bodily conduct—what one does physically can become the channel for pāpa; restraint and righteous action reduce the causes of harsh suffering and support well-being.