Padma Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 22
The Glory of the Brāhmaṇa
Brāhmaṇa-Mahimā and Pādodaka Merit
नास्ति मे जनको माता नास्ति सूनुः सहोदरः । नास्ति जाया मातृबंधुर्मृताः सर्वे विहाय माम्
nāsti me janako mātā nāsti sūnuḥ sahodaraḥ | nāsti jāyā mātṛbaṃdhurmṛtāḥ sarve vihāya mām
मेरा न पिता है, न माता; न पुत्र है, न सहोदर भाई। न पत्नी है, न मातृकुल का बंधु—सब मर गए, मुझे छोड़कर।
Unspecified (a lamenting speaker within the narrative context of Brahma-khaṇḍa, Adhyaya 14)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: forest
Sandhi Resolution Notes: nāsti = na + asti; mātṛbaṃdhuḥ written as mātṛbandhuḥ; vihāya governs mām (acc.).
FAQs
It underscores anitya (impermanence): even the closest relations—parents, spouse, children, and kin—are not permanent, and worldly supports can vanish, leaving one to face life alone.
Primarily it expresses grief and isolation, but such laments in Purāṇic contexts often serve as a doorway to vairāgya (detachment) and reflection on taking refuge in dharma and the divine rather than in transient relationships.
It encourages compassion for those in loss and reminds one to live responsibly—cherishing relationships while recognizing their fragility, and cultivating inner steadiness through dharma, remembrance, and spiritual practice.