Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 146
Pitṛmātṛtīrtha Greatness & the Discourse on Embodiment: Karma, Birth, Impurity, and Dispassion
तयाभिभूतो म्रियते यथान्यैर्व्याधिभिर्नरः । तद्रसेपि हि किं सौख्यं जिह्वाग्रपरिवर्तिनि
tayābhibhūto mriyate yathānyairvyādhibhirnaraḥ | tadrasepi hi kiṃ saukhyaṃ jihvāgraparivartini
Von ihm überwältigt stirbt der Mensch, wie auch an anderen Krankheiten. Selbst in seinem Geschmack—welches Glück ist da, wenn er nur an der Zungenspitze flackert?
Uncertain (context not provided; likely within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma instructional dialogue typical of the Bhūmi-khaṇḍa)
Concept: Hunger can kill like other diseases; even ‘taste’ is momentary, merely flickering on the tongue—therefore do not mistake fleeting sensation for happiness.
Application: When craving arises, pause and observe how brief the taste is; choose a higher habit—chanting, offering food, or fasting with prayer—so the tongue serves devotion rather than compulsion.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A close, symbolic focus on the tongue: a tiny spark of flavor glimmers at its tip and vanishes, while behind the figure a dark wave labeled ‘Kshudha’ rises like an illness. Above, a luminous mantra-like band of ‘Narayana’ letters arcs across the sky, suggesting the tongue’s true fulfillment in divine names rather than fleeting taste.","primary_figures":["symbolic human figure","personified Kshudha (as a dark wave)","mantra-band of Narayana (calligraphic light)"],"setting":"minimal allegorical space—half interior, half cosmic—emphasizing the tongue and the looming hunger","lighting_mood":"divine radiance cutting through darkness","color_palette":["midnight blue","radiant gold","pearl white","crimson accent","smoke gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: allegorical portrait with emphasis on the mouth and tongue, a tiny gold-leaf sparkle of taste at the tip, a dark hunger-wave behind, and a radiant Narayana calligraphic arc above; heavy gold leaf for the mantra and halo-like radiance, rich red and green ornamental borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined allegory with delicate facial features, a subtle glint on the tongue, a translucent dark wave behind, and pale-gold calligraphy in the sky; cool palette, lyrical minimalism, psychological depth rather than spectacle.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized face and tongue, hunger as a dark curling form, Narayana letters as a bright band; strong reds/yellows/greens with black contours, iconographic clarity and temple-wall symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central figure framed by lotus and vine borders, taste depicted as a tiny jewel-like sparkle, hunger as a dark floral-vine inversion, and a luminous band of divine name above; deep blue ground, gold detailing, intricate floral borders evoking devotional redirection of the tongue."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["conch shell (soft, distant)","tanpura drone","temple bells","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: tayā + abhibhūtaḥ → tayābhibhūtaḥ; yathā + anyaiḥ → yathānyaiḥ; vyādhibhiḥ + naraḥ → vyādhibhirnaraḥ; tad + rase + api → tadrasepi.
FAQs
It compares overpowering desire to a disease that can destroy a person, and calls sensory taste a fleeting, tongue-tip sensation that cannot yield lasting happiness.
Do not mistake momentary sensory gratification for true well-being; cultivate restraint and discernment because craving can become destructive.
Purāṇic teachings often stress vairāgya (dispassion) and mastery of the senses as supports for dharma and devotion; this verse underscores that transient pleasures obstruct enduring spiritual joy.