Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 48

The Story of Sukalā

Episode: Ugrasena and Padmāvatī’s Return to Vidarbha

Devanagari script

इति श्रीपद्मपुराणे भूमिखंडे वेनोपाख्याने सुकलाचरित्रेऽष्टचत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः

Transliteration

iti śrīpadmapurāṇe bhūmikhaṃḍe venopākhyāne sukalācaritre'ṣṭacatvāriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

ಇಂತೆ ಶ್ರೀಪದ್ಮಪುರಾಣದ ಭೂಮಿಖಂಡದಲ್ಲಿ ವೇನೋಪಾಖ್ಯಾನಾಂತರ್ಗತ ‘ಸುಕಲಾ-ಚರಿತ್ರ’ ಎಂಬ ಅಷ್ಟಚತ್ವಾರಿಂಶ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯವು ಸಮಾಪ್ತವಾಯಿತು.

Word by Word

• इति: thus/end of quotation
• इति: Textual marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यर्थक-निपात (quotative/closing particle)

• श्रीपद्मपुराणे: in the Śrī Padma Purāṇa
• श्रीपद्मपुराणे: Adhikaraṇa (location/context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + पद्मपुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; ग्रन्थ-नाम (Locative singular)

• भूमिखण्डे: in the Bhūmi-khaṇḍa section
• भूमिखण्डे: Adhikaraṇa (section/context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + खण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ‘भूमेः खण्डः’ (Locative singular)

• वेनोपाख्याने: in the Vena episode
• वेनोपाख्याने: Adhikaraṇa (context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेन (प्रातिपदिक) + उपाख्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ‘वेनस्य उपाख्यानम्’ (Locative singular)

• सुकलाचरित्रे: in the narrative of Sukalā
• सुकलाचरित्रे: Adhikaraṇa (context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुकला (प्रातिपदिक) + चरित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ‘सुकलायाः चरित्रम्’ (Locative singular)

• अष्टचत्वारिंशः: forty-eighth
• अष्टचत्वारिंशः: Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्ट (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + चत्वारिंशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक समास (अष्ट + चत्वारिंशत् = 48)

• अध्यायः: chapter
• अध्यायः: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन (Nominative singular)

Speaker

Narrator/Compiler (colophon-style chapter closing)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A palm-leaf manuscript rests on a low wooden stand, its final line freshly inscribed, while a quiet scriptorium glows with lamp light. A learned reciter sits nearby, hands folded, as if sealing the chapter with reverence.","primary_figures":["scribe (lekhaka)","reciter (paṭhaka)"],"setting":"Traditional manuscript room in a temple or āśrama, with ink pot, stylus, and stacked folios.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["burnt umber","lamp gold","palm-leaf tan","deep brown","crimson thread"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: manuscript on ornate stand with gold leaf borders, a seated paṇḍita reciter in traditional attire, lamp flames rendered with gold highlights, rich red backdrop, devotional stillness.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate indoor scene with delicate lines, warm lamplight, scribe and reciter near manuscripts, subtle textiles and quiet expressions, restrained palette.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized interior with bold outlines, lamp and manuscript emphasized, warm pigments, ornamental frame like temple wall panels.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic ‘iti’ panel—central manuscript with floral borders, lotus motifs, deep blue ground with gold script-like ornamentation, peacocks at corners subdued to maintain solemn closure."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["single temple bell","page rustle","soft drone (tanpura)","silence"]}

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: सुकलाचरित्रेऽष्टचत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः = सुकलाचरित्रे + अष्टचत्वारिंशः + अध्यायः (ए/अ सन्धि: ‘ेऽ’; तथा ‘ोऽ’).

Characters & Entities

• Padma Purana
• Bhūmi-khaṇḍa
• Vena
• Sukalā

FAQs

Is this verse a narrative shloka or a colophon?

It is a colophon: a formal closing line marking the end of Adhyaya 48 and identifying the text-section (Bhūmi-khaṇḍa) and sub-episode (Vena-upākhyāna, Sukalā-caritra).

What does “iti … adhyāyaḥ” signify in Purāṇic manuscripts?

It is a standard end-of-chapter formula meaning “thus (ends) the chapter,” used for navigation, citation, and textual organization.

What is the ethical or philosophical teaching in this specific shloka?

This specific line does not teach doctrine directly; it functions as a structural marker. Any ethical teaching would be located in the chapter’s narrative content rather than in this closing colophon.