Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 16
Signs at the Death of Sinners and the Approach of Yama’s Messengers
आयांति कंठमूलं ते महापापस्य नान्यथा । दुःखमुत्पादयंत्येते कफबंधेन दारुणम्
āyāṃti kaṃṭhamūlaṃ te mahāpāpasya nānyathā | duḥkhamutpādayaṃtyete kaphabaṃdhena dāruṇam
Sie gelangen an die Wurzel der Kehle—nur als Folge großer Sünde und auf keine andere Weise. Durch eine schreckliche Fessel aus Schleim erzeugen sie heftiges Leid.
Unspecified (narrative voice; speaker not identifiable from the single verse alone)
Concept: Great sin concretizes into embodied suffering at death; the subtle becomes gross, producing choking torment.
Application: Guard speech and consumption (throat as symbol of vāṇī and āhāra): practice truthful, non-harmful words; adopt regular japa so the throat becomes habituated to sacred sound.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A close, almost clinical yet symbolic view: the root of the throat constricted by a pale, rope-like phlegm band, while dark, ink-like sins press inward as if seeking exit. The figure’s hands clutch the neck; the air itself looks thick, turning the moment into a moral tableau of suffocation.","primary_figures":["a dying man","personified pāpa (dark ink-forms)","Yama’s unseen presence suggested by shadow (optional)"],"setting":"tight interior framing; symbolic anatomical focus on the throat as karmic gateway","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["sickly pale green","charcoal black","rust red","bone white","dull bronze"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic close-up of the dying figure with ornate but tense composition, a stylized band at the throat rendered with embossed gold contours, dark pāpa-forms as swirling motifs, rich maroon background, gold leaf highlights emphasizing the constriction, traditional border with lotus but subdued tones.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined, restrained depiction of the figure clutching the throat, translucent pale band motif, smoky dark curls representing sin, cool muted palette, delicate facial anguish, minimal interior architecture, poetic symbolism rather than gore.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, simplified throat-band motif, intense eyes and expressive hands, flat fields of red/yellow/green with strong black sin-spirals, temple mural symmetry, icon-like clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical scene where dark vines (pāpa) wrap the throat like inverted lotus stems, border of lotuses and creepers, deep indigo ground with muted gold, devotional medallion of Vishnu far away to suggest missed refuge, intricate textile patterning."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["strained breath","single bell strike","low drone (tanpura)","conch shell (distant)","silence between lines"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नान्यथा = न + अन्यथा; उत्पादयंत्येते = उत्पादयन्ति + एते (सन्धि); कंठमूलं = कण्ठमूलम् (अनुस्वार/वर्तनी भेद)
FAQs
It links a painful throat affliction (described as a severe kapha obstruction) to the karmic fruit of great wrongdoing, asserting it does not arise without such a cause.
Literally “binding/obstruction by kapha (phlegm),” it evokes a choking or clogging condition at the throat, used as a vivid bodily image for intense suffering.
Actions have consequences: severe harm (mahāpāpa) ripens into severe suffering, so one should avoid grave wrongdoing and cultivate restraint and right conduct.