Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 19
Signs at the Death of Sinners and the Approach of Yama’s Messengers
तस्य प्राणान गच्छंति बहुपीडासमाकुलाः । पतते कंपते चैव मूर्च्छते च पुनःपुनः
tasya prāṇāna gacchaṃti bahupīḍāsamākulāḥ | patate kaṃpate caiva mūrcchate ca punaḥpunaḥ
Ses souffles vitaux se dérobent, accablés de multiples tourments ; il s’effondre, tremble, et, encore et encore, tombe en défaillance.
Unspecified narrator (contextual speaker not provided in the input excerpt)
Concept: Prāṇa departs amid torment when life is burdened by pāpa; the body’s collapse mirrors the soul’s unpreparedness.
Application: Adopt a ‘last-breath practice’ now: daily mantra at fixed times, ethical living, and periodic fasting/discipline (e.g., ekadashi) to reduce tamas and stabilize prāṇa and mind.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The body collapses to the ground beside the bed, limbs trembling, as pale breath-streams flicker and thin like a lamp about to go out. Around him, the room blurs into a dark corridor suggesting the threshold to Yama’s realm, while the repeated swoons are shown as layered silhouettes—falling, rising, falling again.","primary_figures":["a dying man","attendants/family as blurred silhouettes (optional)","threshold-shadow suggesting Yama’s path (symbolic)"],"setting":"home interior dissolving into a liminal corridor/threshold space; floor-level perspective emphasizing collapse","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["fading amber","iron gray","deep indigo","dusty rose","pale cyan"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dynamic depiction of collapse with layered posture silhouettes, gold leaf used for the last flicker of breath as a luminous thread, rich maroon and green textiles, ornate border, symbolic dark corridor at the edge of the composition, traditional iconographic drama.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: sensitive portrayal of the failing breath as a thin pale line, the figure mid-fall with delicate shading, interior space opening into a dark passage, cool restrained palette, refined emotional realism, minimal symbolic elements.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, rhythmic repetition of the figure to show repeated fainting, strong color blocks with deep blues and reds, stylized breath-thread motif, mural-like narrative sequencing within one frame.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical scene with the breath as a fading lotus-stem thread, the threshold corridor framed by ornate floral borders, deep blue ground with gold highlights, layered silhouettes as decorative repetition, devotional symbolism emphasizing urgency of remembrance."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["slow drum pulse","conch shell (very distant)","heavy silence","wind through doorway","faint bell"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: गच्छंति (पाठभेद) = गच्छन्ति; चैव = च + एव
FAQs
It depicts a person whose life-breaths are failing under intense affliction—falling down, trembling, and repeatedly fainting—showing extreme physical and mental distress.
In Bhūmi-khaṇḍa contexts, such descriptions commonly reinforce karma-phala and moral causality: harmful actions and adharma lead to suffering and loss of stability in body and mind.
From the excerpt alone, the speaker cannot be identified with certainty. The verse reads like a narrative description; identifying the precise speaker (e.g., a sage addressing a listener) requires the surrounding verses.