Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 16
The Nature of Knowledge, the Guru as Living Tīrtha, and the Law of Final Remembrance
एकस्थानस्थितो वत्स त्रैलोक्ये यद्भविष्यति । वृत्तांतं वेत्स्यसि त्वं तु मत्प्रसादान्न संशयः
ekasthānasthito vatsa trailokye yadbhaviṣyati | vṛttāṃtaṃ vetsyasi tvaṃ tu matprasādānna saṃśayaḥ
Wahai anak terkasih, dengan tetap berada di satu tempat, engkau akan mengetahui apa pun yang akan terjadi di tiga dunia. Dengan anugerahku, engkau pasti mengetahui seluruh kisahnya—tanpa keraguan.
Unspecified (a teacher/elder addressing a disciple as 'vatsa')
Concept: Guru’s grace grants supramundane knowledge even without physical movement; steadfastness in one’s seat (ekasthāna) can yield tri-loka awareness.
Application: Cultivate steadiness (daily sādhana at a fixed time/place), humility toward teachers, and trust that clarity arises through disciplined receptivity rather than restless seeking.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A venerable teacher sits unmoving on a kusa-grass seat beneath a flowering aśvattha, his right hand raised in assurance. Before him, a young disciple (‘vatsa’) kneels, while faint, translucent visions of the three worlds—earth, mid-sky, and heaven—spiral like a mandala behind the guru, suggesting omniscience granted by grace rather than travel.","primary_figures":["Guru (elder teacher)","Disciple (vatsa)"],"setting":"Forest hermitage with a simple altar, water pot, and palm-leaf manuscripts; the background subtly morphs into a tri-loka mandala.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["saffron ochre","smoky indigo","lotus pink","gold leaf","forest green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a seated guru on a jeweled wooden āsana under a stylized sacred tree, right hand in abhaya-mudrā, disciple kneeling with folded hands; behind them a tri-loka halo-mandala rendered with gold leaf, embossed aureole, rich vermilion and emerald borders, gem-studded ornaments on the guru’s kamandalu and manuscript stand, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate hermitage scene with delicate brushwork—guru and disciple on a riverbank clearing, thin white outlines, refined faces; in the sky a soft tri-loka vision like layered clouds and tiny celestial palaces; cool blues and greens, lyrical naturalism, distant hills and flowering shrubs.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and flat natural pigments; guru with large expressive eyes and saffron robes, disciple in humble posture; tri-loka mandala behind as concentric bands of red, yellow, and green with small devas; temple-wall aesthetic with ornamental creeper borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional composition with ornate floral borders and lotus motifs; central guru-disciple vignette framed by a circular tri-loka mandala; deep indigo ground with gold highlights, peacocks perched on the sacred tree, intricate white floral filigree."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["silence","soft temple bells","rustling leaves","distant conch shell"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ekasthānasthito = eka-sthāna-sthitaḥ; yadbhaviṣyati = yat + bhaviṣyati; matprasādānna = matprasādāt + na (final -t before n often written as -nn in sandhi/orthography); vṛttāṃtaṃ = vṛttāntam.
FAQs
It teaches that divine or guru-grace (prasāda) can grant comprehensive knowledge—here, awareness of events across the three worlds—without physical movement or travel.
'Vatsa' means “dear child” and typically indicates a senior speaker addressing a younger disciple or listener; the specific speaker is not identifiable from this verse alone.
The emphasis on “by my grace” highlights reliance on prasāda rather than mere effort, aligning with bhakti themes where divine favor is central to spiritual attainment and insight.