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
ಅವನು ಹೇಳಿದನು— “ಪುಷ್ಪಗಳಿಂದ ಅಲಂಕರಿತವಾದ, ಮನೋಹರ ‘ಕಾಮೋದಕ’ ವೃಕ್ಷವನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಸಿರಿ.” ಶುಕ್ರನು ನುಡಿದನು— “ಓ ದಾನವ! ‘ಕಾಮೋದ’ ಎಂಬ ಮರ ಇಲ್ಲ; ‘ಕಾಮೋದಾ’ ಎಂಬ ಅಪ್ಸರೆಯೇ ಇದೆ.”
Śukra
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: forest
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.