Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 56
Annadāna and the Obstruction of Viṣṇu-Darśana; Vāmadeva’s Teaching and the Vāsudeva Stotra Prelude
क्षेत्रस्य उप्तबीजस्य यथा क्षेत्री प्रभुंजति । फलमेव महाराज तथा दाता भुनक्ति च
kṣetrasya uptabījasya yathā kṣetrī prabhuṃjati | phalameva mahārāja tathā dātā bhunakti ca
Así como el dueño del campo goza del fruto de la semilla sembrada en él, así también, oh gran rey, el dador goza del fruto de su ofrenda.
Unspecified narrator addressing a king (mahārāja) within the Bhūmi-khaṇḍa dialogue frame
Concept: Karmic reciprocity: the giver inevitably enjoys the fruit of giving, just as a field-owner enjoys the harvest from sown seed.
Application: Give consistently (time, resources, kindness) without anxiety; track ‘seeds’ you sow—habits, words, donations—knowing they mature into corresponding outcomes.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ripe field of grain sways as the farmer gathers a golden harvest, while in the foreground a donor places a gift into a brāhmaṇa’s hands; the harvest visually mirrors the gift as if both are the same ‘fruit’. The king watches with calm certainty, understanding that generosity returns as blessing.","primary_figures":["a donor (dātā)","a brāhmaṇa recipient","a farmer/field-owner (symbolic)","a king (mahārāja)"],"setting":"Harvest-time field beside a hermitage boundary; baskets of grain, a clean cloth with gifts, and a small lamp near a simple Viṣṇu shrine-post.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["wheat gold","sunrise amber","deep teal","clay brown","cream white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: abundant harvest scene with embossed gold on grain heads; donor and brāhmaṇa centered with ornate textiles; gold leaf highlights on the ‘fruit’ motif, rich reds/greens, traditional iconographic symmetry and decorative border.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: pastoral harvest with delicate brushwork; donor offering dāna in a quiet courtyard edge; soft atmospheric perspective, refined expressions, gentle color transitions and lyrical calm.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized grain field as repeating pattern, bold outlines; donor and brāhmaṇa in frontal clarity; warm yellow and red pigments, temple-wall compositional balance, lamp and water pot motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: harvest rendered as lotus-like clusters; central dāna act framed by floral borders, peacocks and cows; deep blue ground with gold detailing, textile richness emphasizing ‘phala’ as divine abundance."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["rustling crops","soft handbell","distant conch","quiet silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: फलमेव = फलम् + एव
FAQs
It teaches karma-phala in the context of charity: the giver inevitably experiences the results of giving, just as a field-owner receives the crop from seed sown in his field.
It frames dāna as a spiritually consequential act whose benefits accrue to the donor, reinforcing generosity as a reliable source of merit and well-being.
It provides an intuitive model of causality: actions planted in an appropriate “field” yield corresponding fruits, making the moral logic of giving easy to grasp.