Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 57
The Nature of Knowledge, the Guru as Living Tīrtha, and the Law of Final Remembrance
एवं वरमहं मन्ये यदि दातुमिहेच्छसि । विष्णुरुवाच । यज त्वमश्वमेधेन राजसूयेन भूपते
evaṃ varamahaṃ manye yadi dātumihecchasi | viṣṇuruvāca | yaja tvamaśvamedhena rājasūyena bhūpate
ഇവിടെ നൽകാൻ നിങ്ങൾ ഇച്ഛിക്കുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ, ഇതേ വരമാണ് ഞാൻ യുക്തമെന്ന് കരുതുന്നത്. വിഷ്ണു അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു: ഹേ ഭൂപതേ! നീ അശ്വമേധവും രാജസൂയവും യാഗങ്ങളായി നടത്തുക.
Viṣṇu
Concept: Even lofty spiritual aspirations are harmonized with prescribed kṣatriya-dharma: perform great yajñas as offerings aligned to Viṣṇu’s will.
Application: Do your role’s duties with ritualized mindfulness: set intention, dedicate outcomes to Viṣṇu, and keep ethical purity as the ‘altar’.
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Viṣṇu addresses the king with calm authority, gesturing toward a vast yajña-śālā where priests prepare the fire altar. In the background, the symbolic horse of Aśvamedha is adorned with garlands, while the royal parasol and consecration vessels of Rājasūya gleam—suggesting dharma as a disciplined path.","primary_figures":["Viṣṇu","Vena","ṛtvij priests"],"setting":"Grand sacrificial pavilion with vedi (altar), kuśa grass, ladles, soma vessels, and banners of royal consecration; a horizon of the king’s realm implied beyond.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["vermillion","smoke gray","saffron","deep indigo","burnished gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Viṣṇu standing or seated with commanding mudrā, gold leaf halo; Vena in royal attire receiving instruction; detailed yajña-śālā with blazing agni, priests in white, ritual vessels; gold embossing on altar borders, rich reds/greens, ornate jewelry and crowns.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined court-sacrifice scene with delicate flames, thin incense smoke, and patterned textiles; cool yet luminous palette; Viṣṇu’s aura soft, Vena attentive; the horse shown in profile with floral garlands; distant hills and a river line for gentle depth.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized yajña fire with rhythmic flame motifs; Viṣṇu large and frontal, Vena and priests in side profile; strong outlines, flat yet vibrant color fields; ritual implements rendered iconically; warm reds/yellows with deep blue for Viṣṇu.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa as yajña-pati; surrounding border filled with lotus and flame motifs; the Aśvamedha horse and consecration pots as decorative vignettes; deep blue ground, gold highlights, intricate floral frames."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["Vedic chant undertone","crackling fire","conch shell","temple bells"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वरमहं = वरम् + अहम्; दातुमिहेच्छसि = दातुम् + इह + इच्छसि; विष्णुरुवाच = विष्णुः + उवाच; त्वमश्वमेधेन = त्वम् + अश्वमेधेन
FAQs
They are paradigmatic royal sacrifices associated with sovereignty, public dharma, and the king’s duty to uphold order; the verse frames them as the appropriate means to fulfill the requested boon.
Desires and boons are to be pursued through dharmic, socially responsible means—especially for rulers, whose actions should strengthen righteousness and communal well-being.
It links devotion and divine counsel (Viṣṇu’s instruction) with governance and ritual duty, a common Bhūmi-khaṇḍa emphasis on dharma as lived in the human world.