Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 30
Dialogue of Gobhila and Padmāvatī: Daitya Obstruction vs. the Power of Pativratā Dharma
परित्यज्य प्रगच्छंति ते यांति नरकार्णवम् । पतितं व्याधितं देवि विकलं कुष्ठिनं तथा
parityajya pragacchaṃti te yāṃti narakārṇavam | patitaṃ vyādhitaṃ devi vikalaṃ kuṣṭhinaṃ tathā
Ceux qui les délaissent et s’en vont s’acheminent vers l’océan de l’enfer. Cela concerne celui qui abandonne le déchu, le malade, ô Déesse, l’infirme, et de même le lépreux.
Unspecified (addressing Devī/Parvatī)
Concept: Deserting those who are fallen, sick, disabled, or diseased is a grave adharma that drags one toward hellish consequence.
Application: Do not abandon family members or dependents in illness/disability; cultivate caregiving, ethical support, and community responsibility.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dramatic infernal seascape: black-red waves churn like molten iron, forming the ‘ocean of hell’ into which shadowy figures are pulled by the force of their own abandonment. In the foreground, the vulnerable—an ill person, a disabled person, and a leper—sit unattended, their isolation contrasted against the roaring karmic abyss.","primary_figures":["Departing abandoner (silhouetted)","Sick person","Disabled person","Leper (kushthin)","Infernal guardians (yamadūta-like, subtle)"],"setting":"Threshold between a human settlement edge and a vast infernal ocean vision, like a moral revelation scene.","lighting_mood":"thunder","color_palette":["obsidian black","blood red","sulfur yellow","ashen gray","cold violet"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: allegorical scene with a dark, stylized Narakārṇava rendered as swirling red-black waves; foreground figures of the afflicted with expressive faces; gold leaf used to outline karmic chains and infernal motifs; ornate border framing a moral warning panel, rich maroons and deep greens.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: visionary composition—human village edge dissolving into a painted infernal ocean; delicate but intense facial expressions; muted palette with sharp red accents; fine linework for waves and wind, moral narrative clarity.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and high-contrast pigments; stylized infernal sea with rhythmic wave patterns; afflicted figures foregrounded; yamadūtas in iconic poses; red-yellow-black dominance, temple-wall cautionary aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic infernal lotus turned dark—black lotus petals forming a whirlpool; border of thorny creepers; figures simplified into devotional-moral iconography; deep indigo and maroon with gold highlights, intricate patterning."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["thunder rumble","low drum","sharp bell strikes","wind howl","sudden silence at 'devī'"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रगच्छंति = प्रगच्छन्ति (अनुस्वार-लेखन); नरकार्णवम् = नरक + अर्णवम् (तत्पुरुष); यांति = यान्ति (अनुस्वार-लेखन).
FAQs
It condemns abandoning vulnerable people—those who are fallen, sick, disabled, or afflicted—and frames such neglect as a serious moral fault leading to hellish consequences.
Literally “the ocean of hell,” it is a strong metaphor for severe post-mortem suffering resulting from grave unethical conduct.
“Devī” indicates the statement is spoken within a dialogue addressed to the Goddess (commonly Parvatī), a frequent framing device in Purāṇic moral instruction.