Padma Purana — Srishti Khanda, Shloka 125
Slaying of Andhaka; Hymn to the Sun; Glory of Brahmins; Gayatri Nyasa and Pranayama
सद्वृत्तः कलुषैर्मुक्तस्तीर्थभूतो जनोऽनघः । नारद उवाच । जातः कः श्रोत्रियस्तात सत्कुले वाप्यसत्कुले
sadvṛttaḥ kaluṣairmuktastīrthabhūto jano'naghaḥ | nārada uvāca | jātaḥ kaḥ śrotriyastāta satkule vāpyasatkule
सद्वृत्त, कलुषों से मुक्त मनुष्य तीर्थस्वरूप—निष्पाप—हो जाता है। नारद बोले—“तात, श्रोत्रिय कौन होता है? सत्कुल में जन्मा, या असत्कुल में जन्मा भी?”
Nārada
Concept: Good conduct and freedom from inner impurity make a person itself a tīrtha; spiritual status is earned by guṇa and karma, not guaranteed by birth.
Application: Treat character as your primary spiritual credential; seek company of the pure-hearted; become a source of uplift in family and community through consistent restraint and kindness.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A humble ascetic with clear, compassionate eyes stands at a riverbank while travelers instinctively bow, sensing sanctity not from ornaments but from purity. The river glows as if responding to his presence, suggesting that the person himself has become a living tīrtha.","primary_figures":["Nārada","purified sādhaka (tīrtha-bhūta)","pilgrims"],"setting":"Quiet river ghat with stone steps, banyan tree shade, small shrine lamp, and distant hermitage huts.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["river-silver","sandalwood beige","leaf green","sunrise amber","sky blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: river ghat scene with a radiant, simple-clad sādhaka standing barefoot, pilgrims offering añjali, Nārada nearby with vīṇā; gold leaf aura around the sādhaka, rich architectural borders, jewel-like highlights on water ripples, traditional South Indian gopuram silhouette in the distance.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate riverbank with soft dawn gradients, banyan leaves finely detailed, the saintly figure calm and unadorned, pilgrims in muted garments; lyrical naturalism, cool blues and greens, refined facial expressions, gentle flowing water lines.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized ghat and river with bold outlines, saint figure with large eyes and serene smile, Nārada with vīṇā; red-yellow-green pigment dominance, ornamental lotus borders, temple-wall composition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate floral border with lotuses and vines, central river motif rendered as patterned bands, saintly figure as ‘living tīrtha’ with golden halo, pilgrims and peacocks at the margins; deep blues, gold, and intricate textile detailing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["flowing water","morning birds","soft hand-bell","vīṇā drone suggestion"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मुक्तस् + तीर्थभूतः → मुक्तस्तीर्थभूतः; जनः + अनघः → जनोऽनघः; श्रोत्रियस् + तात → श्रोत्रियस्तात; वा + अपि → वापि; ह्रस्व/विसर्ग-सन्धयः यथायोग्यम्।
FAQs
It presents holiness as a quality embodied by a person: one who is virtuous and purified becomes “tīrthabhūta,” a sanctifying presence like a sacred ford.
Nārada asks whether true śrotriya status depends on birth in a “good family” or can also arise in someone from an “ignoble” background—implying merit, learning, and conduct are central.
The verse elevates character and purification over mere external status: good conduct and freedom from moral impurities make a person blameless and spiritually elevating to others.