Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 16

The Vena Episode: Sunīthā’s Māyā, Aṅga’s Enchantment, and the Birth of Vena

Devanagari script

जगाम तत्र वेगेन मायाचलितमानसः । दोलासंस्थां विलोक्यैव वीणादंडकराविलाम्

Transliteration

jagāma tatra vegena māyācalitamānasaḥ | dolāsaṃsthāṃ vilokyaiva vīṇādaṃḍakarāvilām

Translation

Allí se dirigió con presteza, con la mente turbada por la māyā; y al verla sentada en un columpio, con las manos ocupadas en el mástil de la vīṇā, la contempló.

Word by Word

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपदम्

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• वेगेन: with speed
• वेगेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन

• माया-चलित-मानसः: whose mind was disturbed by illusion
• माया-चलित-मानसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक) + चलित (कृदन्त; चल् धातु) + मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहिर्विशेषण; ‘मायया चलितं मानसं यस्य’ इति (mind disturbed by illusion)

• दोलासंस्थाम्: seated on a swing
• दोलासंस्थाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दोलासंस्था (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; ‘दोलायां संस्थिता’ इति

• विलोक्य: having seen
• विलोक्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + लोक् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having seen)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); अवधारणार्थक (emphatic)

• वीणा-दण्ड-कर-आविलाम्: with hands engaged with the vīṇā’s neck
• वीणा-दण्ड-कर-आविलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वीणा (प्रातिपदिक) + दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक) + आविल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘वीणादण्डेन करौ आविलौ यस्याः/यां’ इति (hands occupied/engaged with the vīṇā-neck)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual speaker not specified from single-verse input)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shringara

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: forest

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: विलोक्यैव = विलोक्य + एव; वीणादंडकराविलाम् = वीणा-दण्ड-कर-आविलाम् (समास/संधि-विग्रह).

FAQs

What does “māyācalitamānasaḥ” imply in this verse?

It describes a person whose mind has been shaken or confused by māyā—illusion, delusion, or enchantment—suggesting impulsive movement driven by fascination rather than clear discernment.

Why are the swing (dolā) and vīṇā emphasized together?

The imagery combines leisure and aesthetic refinement: the swing suggests playful elegance, while the vīṇā signals cultivated art and attraction—often used in Purāṇic narration to convey enchantment and emotional captivation.

What ethical or psychological lesson can be read from this line?

The verse highlights how quickly a mind disturbed by illusion can rush toward its object of fascination; it can be read as a caution to cultivate steadiness and clarity before acting.