Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 153
Pitṛmātṛtīrtha Greatness & the Discourse on Embodiment: Karma, Birth, Impurity, and Dispassion
भयमर्थवतां नित्यं मृत्योर्देहभृतामिव । खे यथा पक्षिभिर्मांसं भक्ष्यते श्वापदैर्भुवि
bhayamarthavatāṃ nityaṃ mṛtyordehabhṛtāmiva | khe yathā pakṣibhirmāṃsaṃ bhakṣyate śvāpadairbhuvi
Pour les riches, la peur est continuelle, comme la peur de la mort pour les êtres incarnés : de même que la chair est dévorée par les oiseaux dans le ciel et par les bêtes de proie sur la terre.
Unspecified (narrative voice within Padma Purana; chapter-level dialogue context not provided in input)
Concept: Possession breeds constant fear; like embodied life shadowed by death, wealth attracts predators and anxiety.
Application: Notice how attachment multiplies fear; practice aparigraha (non-hoarding), cultivate remembrance (smaraṇa) and charity to loosen possessiveness.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dramatic allegory: in the open sky, birds circle and tear at a piece of flesh, while on the ground wolves and jackals wait below—mirroring how wealth makes one feel hunted from every direction. At the edge of the scene, a calm devotee stands under a small Viṣṇu banner, untouched by the frenzy, suggesting the ‘abhaya’ of surrender.","primary_figures":["circling birds of prey","jackals/wolves (śvāpada)","a symbolic wealthy figure clutching a purse","a calm Vaiṣṇava devotee"],"setting":"A wide, barren plain under a vast sky; distant shrine flag or small temple silhouette.","lighting_mood":"dramatic chiaroscuro","color_palette":["storm gray","bone white","rust red","midnight blue","saffron"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a symbolic composition—upper register with stylized raptors tearing flesh, lower register with prowling jackals; center a frightened rich man clutching a money-bag; to one side a serene devotee with ūrdhva-puṇḍra near a tiny Viṣṇu shrine; heavy gold leaf for divine elements, rich reds and greens for garments, ornate borders emphasizing moral allegory.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: expansive sky with delicate birds in motion, earthy plain with finely rendered beasts; a merchant figure looks upward in dread; a devotee stands quietly near a small temple flag; cool blues and muted browns, refined expressions, lyrical but unsettling naturalism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines—large expressive birds and beasts as archetypes of fear; central human figure with wide eyes; devotee with tulasī-mālā and ūrdhva-puṇḍra in calm posture; flat pigments in red/yellow/green with dark blue sky band, temple-wall aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: narrative border panels showing predatory birds above and beasts below; central medallion with a small Viṣṇu shrine and lotus motifs signifying refuge; intricate floral borders, deep indigo background with gold highlights, symbolic rather than gory depiction."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["wind over open ground","distant thunder","brief conch accent at the simile","silence after the final pāda"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मृत्योर्देहभृतामिव = मृत्योः + देहभृताम् + इव; पक्षिभिर्मांसं = पक्षिभिः + मांसम्; श्वापदैर्भुवि = श्वापदैः + भुवि
FAQs
It portrays wealth as a source of continual anxiety—those who possess riches live with persistent fear, suggesting the need for restraint and detachment.
Death-fear is presented as universal for embodied beings; the verse uses that intensity to convey how constant and consuming the fear around possessions can become.
It illustrates relentless predation from all directions—like flesh preyed upon in sky and on land—mirroring how the wealthy may feel threatened by loss, theft, rivals, or circumstance.