Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 24
Sukalā’s Episode: Padmāvatī’s Crisis, the Speaking Embryo (Kālanemi), and Sudevā’s Begging at Śivaśarmā’s House
साधयितुं च तद्वैरमागतोऽस्मि तवोदरम् । साहसं च श्रमं मातर्मा कुरुष्व दिन दिने
sādhayituṃ ca tadvairamāgato'smi tavodaram | sāhasaṃ ca śramaṃ mātarmā kuruṣva dina dine
Et pour accomplir cette inimitié, je suis venu dans ton sein. Mère, ne t’adonne pas, jour après jour, à des efforts téméraires et à la peine.
Unspecified (a being/child speaking to its mother from within the womb)
Concept: Karmic intentions can persist across births; yet the counsel to avoid rash hardship hints that even dark intentions recognize the power of disciplined restraint.
Application: Avoid impulsive overexertion; practice steadiness and care for the body—especially in vulnerable phases—while examining the motives driving one’s actions.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a dimly glowing womb-space imagined as a crimson lotus chamber, a subtle, luminous child-form speaks with unsettling clarity to his mother. Outside, the mother sits in a quiet inner room, hands on her belly, torn between instinctive care and an inexplicable dread that shadows her breath.","primary_figures":["Unborn child (future Kaṃsa/being with past-life memory)","Mother (unnamed)"],"setting":"Private palace chamber with a curtained bed, oil lamp, and a symbolic inner-vision of the womb as a lotus enclosure","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["deep maroon","lamp-gold","smoky umber","lotus pink","midnight blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a split-scene composition—mother seated in a palace chamber with ornate jewelry, one hand on her abdomen; above/within a stylized lotus-womb medallion, the unborn child appears speaking; gold leaf highlights on lamp flame, jewelry, and lotus petals; rich reds and greens, intricate borders with lotus and chakra motifs.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate interior with delicate textiles and soft shading; the mother’s face shows worry and tenderness; a translucent lotus-shaped aura over her belly reveals the speaking child; cool muted palette with saffron accents, fine brushwork, lyrical quietness despite ominous theme.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: mother in profile with stylized eyes and patterned garments; a circular lotus mandala at the abdomen contains the child figure; bold outlines, flat pigments, strong reds/yellows/greens, temple-wall symmetry, ornamental floral borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central mother figure framed by lotus vines; the womb-vision rendered as a lotus medallion with the child; decorative borders of tulasi and lotus motifs (symbolic), deep blue background with gold detailing, intricate floral patterns, narrative calm with underlying foreboding."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft lamp crackle","distant palace silence","low drone (tanpura)","subtle heartbeat-like drum"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तद्वैरमागतोऽस्मि = तत् + वैरम् + आगतः + अस्मि; तवोदरम् = तव + उदरम्; मातर्मा = मातर् + मा.
FAQs
It presents a startling confession—someone claims to have taken birth to fulfill a prior enmity—while also advising the mother not to overstrain herself with daily hardship.
The verse itself does not name the speaker; it reads like a fetal/womb dialogue where an embodied being addresses its mother as “mātar” (O mother).
Even amid intense motives like vengeance, the verse highlights restraint and care: avoid reckless exertion and unnecessary suffering, especially when it harms oneself or others.