Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 12
The Lament of King Āyū and Indumatī: The Abduction/Loss of the Child and Karmic Reflection
किं वा शिशुविरोधश्च कृतो जन्मांतरे मया । तस्य पापस्य भुंजामि कर्मणः फलमीदृशम्
kiṃ vā śiśuvirodhaśca kṛto janmāṃtare mayā | tasya pāpasya bhuṃjāmi karmaṇaḥ phalamīdṛśam
അല്ലെങ്കിൽ മുൻജന്മത്തിൽ ഞാൻ ഒരു ശിശുവിനെതിരേ ഏതെങ്കിലും അപരാധം ചെയ്തുവോ? ആ പാപത്തിന്റെ ഫലമായിട്ടാണ്—ഇത്തരത്തിലുള്ള കർമ്മഫലം—ഞാൻ ഇപ്പോൾ അനുഭവിക്കുന്നത്.
Unspecified (lamenting narrator/character within the chapter’s dialogue)
Concept: Harm done to the vulnerable (a child) rebounds across births; karmic continuity explains present suffering.
Application: Cultivate protection of children and dependents; practice conscious non-harm, charity, and devotional atonement when remorse arises.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A solitary figure kneels before a small household altar, palms pressed, eyes wet, as shadowy vignettes of a prior-life scene—an offended child—appear like faint murals on the wall behind. The present grief is shown as a heavy, dark aura around the heart, while a thin beam of sacred light suggests the possibility of purification through dharma and devotion.","primary_figures":["lamenting narrator/householder","shadow-vision of a child (symbolic)"],"setting":"interior of a modest home shrine room with ritual vessels and a low lamp","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["midnight blue","charcoal black","pale silver","lamp-amber","blood-red accent"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: penitent devotee kneeling before a small Viṣṇu shrine, gold leaf on the lamp flame and altar arch, symbolic ghosted panel of a child in the background, rich reds/greens with dark blues, ornate but restrained, devotional remorse emphasized.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: quiet interior with delicate shading, the devotee’s tearful face rendered with refined features, a translucent past-life tableau of a child behind like a memory cloud, cool nocturnal palette, minimalism conveying moral weight.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized shrine and bold outlines, the devotee’s eyes large with remorse, the child-memory motif in a circular medallion behind, earthy pigments and rhythmic ornamentation, sacred lamp as focal point.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central penitent figure before a small Śālagrāma/Viṣṇu altar, lotus borders and subtle cow motifs, deep indigo ground with gold highlights, memory vignette framed like a miniature within the cloth."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["tanpura drone","soft bell at phrase endings","faint wind","occasional conch in distance","long pauses"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शिशुविरोधश्च = शिशुविरोधः + च; जन्मांतरे = जन्म + अन्तरे; फलमीदृशम् = फलम् + ईदृशम्; भुंजामि (IAST bhuṃjāmi) = भुञ्जामि.
FAQs
It frames present suffering as karmaphala—the ripened result of past actions, possibly even from a previous birth.
It suggests wrongdoing toward a child—hostility, harm, or obstruction—highlighting the gravity of harming the vulnerable.
It reinforces personal accountability across lifetimes: actions (karma), especially sinful ones (pāpa), inevitably bear corresponding results.