Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 32
Dialogue of Gobhila and Padmāvatī: Daitya Obstruction vs. the Power of Pativratā Dharma
त्यक्त्वा कांतं व्रजेन्नारी अन्यत्कार्यमिहेच्छति । सा मता पुंश्चली लोके सर्वधर्मबहिष्कृता
tyaktvā kāṃtaṃ vrajennārī anyatkāryamihecchati | sā matā puṃścalī loke sarvadharmabahiṣkṛtā
La femme qui délaisse son bien-aimé et s’en va ailleurs, désirant ici quelque autre affaire, est tenue dans le monde pour volage et se voit exclue de tout honneur selon le dharma.
Unspecified (narrative voice not provided in the excerpt; likely within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma instructional frame typical of the Bhūmi-khaṇḍa)
Concept: Socially recognized dharma is framed as fidelity and steadiness; abandoning one’s spouse for another desire is treated as adharma and loss of honor.
Application: Guard impulsive desire; keep commitments; cultivate steadiness in relationships and vows; seek counsel and reconciliation rather than secretive pursuit of ‘other affairs’.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A didactic tableau in a village threshold: a woman turns away from her household altar and spouse’s garlanded portrait, stepping toward a shadowed lane where temptation beckons. Elders and women of the community watch with stern, sorrow-tinged faces, while a small lamp near a Tulasi platform flickers as if warning of dharma’s dimming.","primary_figures":["village woman (symbolic)","household elders","Tulasi shrine (as silent witness)"],"setting":"rural courtyard with a Tulasi-vṛndāvana, doorway, and a narrow village street receding into dusk","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["smoked umber","lamp-gold","deep maroon","ash gray","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: moral-didactic village courtyard scene with a Tulasi-vṛndāvana and brass oil lamp in the foreground, the woman mid-step toward a dark lane, elders seated in judgment; heavy gold leaf highlights on lamp flame, jewelry, and architectural borders; rich reds, greens, and burnished gold, traditional South Indian ornamentation and patterned textiles.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a quiet courtyard with delicate linework, the woman turning away from a simple domestic shrine, elders observing; cool twilight wash over the village lane, lyrical trees and a small Tulasi planter; refined faces, restrained gestures, soft gradients and fine textile patterns.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, stylized expressive eyes, the woman at the threshold with a Tulasi platform and lamp; strong red-yellow-green palette, flat temple-wall composition, ornamental borders, moral tension conveyed through posture and gaze.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic composition with a central Tulasi-vṛndāvana and lamp, floral borders and lotus motifs; the woman and elders arranged like a narrative frieze; deep indigo background with gold detailing, intricate vines and peacocks as moral witnesses, Nathdwara-inspired ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["temple bells (distant)","evening silence","soft footfalls","oil lamp crackle"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: व्रजेन्नारी = व्रजेत् + नारी; अन्यत्कार्यम् = अन्यत् + कार्यम्; इहेच्छति = इह + इच्छति.
FAQs
It presents a dharma-based social ethic that condemns abandoning one’s partner to pursue another relationship or agenda, portraying such conduct as socially censured and outside dharmic approval.
No. The verse is purely normative/ethical and does not reference specific deities, sacred places, or pilgrimage geography.
As a reflection of the text’s historical-social dharma framework: it expresses a traditional moral evaluation rather than a neutral description, and should be interpreted within its cultural and legal-ethical context.