Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 31
Viṣṇu’s Māyā and the Stratagem Against Vihuṇḍa
with the Kāmodā–Gaṅgādvāra motif
कामोदकं द्रुमं ब्रूहि कांतं पुष्पसमन्वितम् । शुक्र उवाच । कामोदः पादपो नास्ति योषिदेवास्ति दानव
kāmodakaṃ drumaṃ brūhi kāṃtaṃ puṣpasamanvitam | śukra uvāca | kāmodaḥ pādapo nāsti yoṣidevāsti dānava
उसने कहा— “मुझे उस कामोदक वृक्ष के विषय में बताइए, जो मनोहर और पुष्पों से युक्त है।” शुक्राचार्य बोले— “हे दानव! कामोद नाम का कोई वृक्ष नहीं; बल्कि कामोदा नाम की एक अप्सरा है।”
Śukra
Concept: Names can mislead; discern the real referent. What is sought as an object (‘tree’) may actually be a person/power (‘apsaras’), revealing the mind’s projection.
Application: Interrogate your desires: are you seeking a ‘thing’ but actually chasing a fantasy? Seek clarity from wise counsel before acting.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: forest
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a tranquil hermitage, the Dānava urgently describes a ‘blossom-laden Kāmodaka tree’, hands gesturing as if grasping fragrance. Śukra, serene and incisive, answers with a calm negation and a revealing glance—behind him, a faint ethereal silhouette of an apsaras (Kāmodā) appears like a mirage dissolving the seeker’s misconception.","primary_figures":["Śukra (Bhārgava)","Dānava seeker","Apsaras Kāmodā (subtle, revealed form)"],"setting":"Hermitage interior-veranda with manuscripts, ritual vessels, and a flowering creeper; the apsaras appears in a soft aura near a grove opening.","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["silver moonlight","pearl white","sapphire blue","soft coral","pale gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Śukra seated with a luminous gold halo, right hand in teaching gesture; the Dānava kneels, eyes wide; behind, Kāmodā apsaras emerges in translucent form with gold leaf highlights on jewelry and aura; rich red-green drapery, ornate arch, gem-like detailing on ornaments and manuscripts.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined dialogue scene—Śukra calm, the Dānava animated; a delicate, semi-transparent apsaras figure painted with light washes near a moonlit grove; cool palette, fine facial features, subtle floral detail on the imagined ‘tree’ motif fading into the background.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Śukra with bold outlines and composed expression, teaching mudrā; the Dānava in contrasting agitated posture; Kāmodā rendered as a stylized celestial figure within an aura circle; warm pigments with strong black contours, temple-wall symmetry, decorative borders with lotus and conch motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central teaching tableau framed by intricate floral borders; Śukra at center, the Dānava to one side, Kāmodā appearing as a celestial vignette; deep blue cloth ground, gold detailing, lotuses and peacocks in the border, subtle Vaishnava symbols woven into ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["tanpura drone","soft bell punctuation","night breeze through leaves","distant owl call","gentle water trickle"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नास्ति = न + अस्ति; योषिदेवास्ति = योषित् + एव + अस्ति (त् + ए → दे; सन्धि-लेखन).
FAQs
Śukra is the speaker, addressing a Dānava (a demon/Asura figure) who asked about “Kāmodaka,” thinking it was a flowering tree.
It corrects a misunderstanding: “Kāmoda/Kāmodaka” is not identified here as a tree; Śukra states that instead there is a celestial maiden named Kāmodā.
The verse models careful clarification of names and categories—encouraging discernment and precise understanding rather than assuming meanings based on appearances or sound-alike terms.