Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 12
Entering Kāmodā and the Doctrine of Dreams, Sleep, and the Self
सत्स्वप्नो मानवानां हि पुण्यस्य फलदायकः । अन्यदेवं प्रवक्ष्यामि स्वप्नस्य कारणं शुभे
satsvapno mānavānāṃ hi puṇyasya phaladāyakaḥ | anyadevaṃ pravakṣyāmi svapnasya kāraṇaṃ śubhe
Un rêve véritablement de bon augure, pour les humains, donne le fruit du mérite (puṇya). Maintenant, ô bienheureuse, j’expliquerai autrement la cause des rêves.
Unspecified narrator/teacher figure addressing a woman (‘śubhe’).
Concept: Auspicious dreams can be read as indicators of accrued puṇya and as prompts toward dhārmic action.
Application: Treat uplifting dreams as reminders to intensify sādhana—japa, charity, temple visit, or Ekādaśī discipline—rather than as mere entertainment.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A serene teacher-sage sits beside a lamp-lit manuscript, addressing a veiled woman seated respectfully. Above them, a translucent dream-cloud forms auspicious symbols—lotus, conch, and a gentle radiance—suggesting puṇya ripening into guidance.","primary_figures":["teacher-sage (ācārya)","female interlocutor (śubhe)","symbolic Vishnu-emblems (śaṅkha, cakra, padma) in the dream-cloud"],"setting":"Quiet hermitage study or temple veranda with palm-leaf manuscripts, tulasī pot in the background, and a low oil lamp.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["warm amber","lotus pink","sandalwood beige","deep indigo","gold leaf"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a seated guru explaining svapna-phala to a modestly adorned woman, ornate arch backdrop, gold leaf halo-like radiance around the dream-cloud containing conch and lotus motifs, rich reds/greens, gem-studded ornaments on symbolic emblems, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate veranda scene with delicate linework, the teacher gesturing toward a pale dream-cloud above, cool indigo night with soft lamp glow, refined faces, subtle floral borders, distant hills and a small tulasī planter for Vaishnava ambience.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and stylized eyes, the guru and woman in profile, a large luminous dream-aura with lotus and conch, flat temple-wall composition, natural pigment reds/yellows/greens, rhythmic ornamentation on textiles.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central dream-cloud shaped like a lotus mandala with Vishnu symbols, ornate floral borders, peacocks near a tulasī pot, deep blue ground with gold highlights, devotional atmosphere suggesting auspiciousness and merit."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","low drone (tanpura)","night insects","gentle silence between pādas"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सत्स्वप्नो = सत्-स्वप्नः (कर्मधारय). अन्यदेवं = अन्यत् + एवम्.
FAQs
It states that an auspicious/true dream can become a giver of results connected with puṇya (merit), implying dreams may reflect or mature karmic outcomes.
‘Śubhe’ is a vocative address meaning “O auspicious one,” typically directed to a female listener (often a goddess or a respectful female interlocutor), though this single verse does not name her.
The verse links inner experience (dreams) with moral causality (puṇya and its fruits), encouraging a dhārmic life whose merit may manifest as auspicious signs and outcomes.