Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 43
Karmic Causality, Fate, and the Supremacy of Food-Charity
within Guru-tīrtha Glorification
राजन्प्रत्यक्षमेवैकं दृश्यते लोकसाक्षिकम् । परित्यज्य प्रियान्प्राणान्धनार्थं लोभमोहिताः
rājanpratyakṣamevaikaṃ dṛśyate lokasākṣikam | parityajya priyānprāṇāndhanārthaṃ lobhamohitāḥ
હે રાજન, એક વાત તો પ્રત્યક્ષ દેખાય છે અને સમગ્ર લોક તેનો સાક્ષી છે—લોભથી મોહિત લોકો ધન માટે પોતાના પ્રિય પ્રાણ પણ ત્યજી દે છે.
Unspecified (addressing a king: rājan)
Concept: Greed (lobha) and delusion (moha) invert values: people sacrifice life itself for wealth, revealing the urgency of cultivating detachment and righteous giving.
Application: Audit motivations behind work and accumulation; practice ‘enoughness’; avoid harmful livelihoods; redirect surplus to service (anna-dāna, medical aid, temple/community support).
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In a royal court, a sage points toward a stark tableau: merchants and soldiers scrambling over spilled coins while a fallen man lies ignored, illustrating how wealth eclipses life. The king sits troubled on his throne, the ‘world as witness’ shown by a ring of onlookers—citizens, ascetics, and even animals—staring in silent judgment.","primary_figures":["a king (rājan)","admonishing sage/narrator","greed-stricken townspeople","court attendants"],"setting":"palace audience hall opening onto a bustling market street where the cautionary scene unfolds","lighting_mood":"dramatic chiaroscuro","color_palette":["royal maroon","ash gray","brass gold","midnight blue","dust brown"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: king on ornate throne listening to a sage, gold leaf on crown and pillars, foreground scene of coins and frantic figures, expressive faces, rich reds/greens, embossed gold to contrast sacred counsel with worldly glitter.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: court veranda overlooking a market, delicate lines showing moral drama, subdued palette with sharp gold accents for coins, refined yet sorrowful expressions, layered narrative vignette technique.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized king and sage, moral tableau of greed in simplified forms, strong red-yellow-green palette with dark blue shadows, temple-wall storytelling bands.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical composition—central king and sage framed by lotus borders, surrounding medallions depicting scenes of greed and loss, deep blue ground with gold coin motifs, intricate floral filigree."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["court hush","distant market clamor","sudden silence","low drum pulse"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: राजन्प्रत्यक्षम् = राजन् + प्रत्यक्षम्; प्रत्यक्षमेवैकम् = प्रत्यक्षम् + एव + एकम्; लोकसाक्षिकम् = लोक + साक्षिकम्; प्रियान्प्राणान् = प्रियान् + प्राणान्.
FAQs
It warns that greed can delude people into sacrificing even their very lives for wealth, a fact seen openly in society.
It emphasizes that this is not a hidden metaphysical claim but a publicly observable truth—human actions driven by greed are evident everywhere.
A king should recognize greed as a destructive force in society and govern in ways that discourage exploitative wealth-seeking and protect life and moral order.