Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 74
Yayāti’s Summons to Heaven and the Teaching on Old Age, the Five-Element Body, and Self–Body Discernment
तस्माज्जज्ञे महावह्निर्दृष्टांतं पश्य भूपते । यथा काष्ठाद्भवेद्वह्निः पुनः काष्ठं प्रकाशयेत्
tasmājjajñe mahāvahnirdṛṣṭāṃtaṃ paśya bhūpate | yathā kāṣṭhādbhavedvahniḥ punaḥ kāṣṭhaṃ prakāśayet
उसी से महावह्नि उत्पन्न हुआ। हे भूपते, यह दृष्टान्त देखो—जैसे काष्ठ से अग्नि प्रकट होती है और वही फिर काष्ठ को प्रकाशित करती है।
Unspecified narrator/sage addressing a king (bhūpati) within the Bhūmi-khaṇḍa dialogue frame
Concept: Causality and self-revelation: from a substrate arises a transformative principle that then illuminates its own source—like fire born of wood revealing wood’s nature and form.
Application: Use analogies to examine your own habits: from disciplined inputs arises clarity, and clarity then reveals the roots of desire and ignorance; cultivate practices that generate ‘inner fire’ of discernment.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king watches as a rishi demonstrates a teaching: two pieces of wood are rubbed, and a bright flame leaps forth, casting light back onto the grain and texture of the wood itself. The fire is painted as both physical and symbolic—its halo forming a wheel of insight around the teacher’s hand.","primary_figures":["a teaching rishi","a listening king (bhūpate)","Agni (manifest flame)"],"setting":"Hermitage courtyard with a wooden fire-drill, stacked samidha logs, and a small altar; attendants at a respectful distance","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["flame orange","gold leaf","teak brown","ash white","midnight blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic Agni emerging from rubbed wooden sticks in the rishi’s hands; the flame rendered with thick gold leaf and embossed halos; the king in ornate crown and silk dhoti gazing in wonder; carved pillars and arch frame, rich reds/greens, gem-like highlights, traditional iconography.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate instructional moment—rishi seated on a mat, king leaning forward; delicate flame with soft gradients illuminating the wood grain; cool background with pale hills and trees, refined facial expressions, subtle narrative realism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized flame with concentric aureoles; rishi and king in profile with large expressive eyes; strong red-yellow-green palette; decorative border motifs of fire and lotus.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic fire-wheel (agni-chakra) at center, surrounded by floral borders and lotus motifs; a small Shaligrama on a pedestal implying Vishnu as inner light; deep blue ground with gold highlights, intricate patterns, devotional didactic tone."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["crackle of fire","soft conch in distance","rustle of leaves","brief emphatic pauses on dṛṣṭānta phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तस्मात् + जज्ञे → तस्माज्जज्ञे; महावह्निः + दृष्टान्तम् → महावह्निर्दृष्टान्तम्; काष्ठात् + भवेत् → काष्ठाद्भवेत्; भवेत् + वह्निः → भवेद्वह्निः; (पादान्ते) काष्ठं प्रकाशयेत् इति पृथक्।
FAQs
It uses the metaphor of fire emerging from wood and then illuminating that same wood, to show how an effect can arise from a cause and then reveal or make that cause manifest.
The address indicates the teaching is delivered as counsel to a ruler—framing the point as a practical, didactic example meant to be clearly grasped.
It suggests the notion of revelation or manifestation: what arises (like fire) can also disclose, clarify, or make evident its own source (like wood).