Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 15
Dialogue of Gobhila and Padmāvatī: Daitya Obstruction vs. the Power of Pativratā Dharma
गोभिल उवाच । धर्ममेव प्रवक्ष्यामि भवती यदि मन्यते । अग्निचिद्ब्राह्मणस्यापि श्रूयतां नृपनंदिनी
gobhila uvāca | dharmameva pravakṣyāmi bhavatī yadi manyate | agnicidbrāhmaṇasyāpi śrūyatāṃ nṛpanaṃdinī
ഗോഭിലൻ പറഞ്ഞു—നീ സമ്മതിക്കുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ ഞാൻ ധർമ്മം തന്നെയാകും പ്രസ്താവിക്കുക. ഹേ രാജകുമാരീ, അഗ്നിചയനം ചെയ്ത ഒരു ബ്രാഹ്മണന്റെ കഥയും കേൾക്കുക.
Gobhila
Concept: Dharma is to be articulated and heard (śravaṇa) through exemplars; Vedic ritual discipline is presented as a model of steadiness and correctness.
Application: Seek counsel from learned teachers; cultivate the habit of listening before acting, and learn dharma through stories of exemplars.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: forest
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Sage Gobhila sits calmly on a kusa-grass seat, one hand raised in teaching, the other holding a palm-leaf manuscript. Before him, a royal maiden listens with folded hands, while in the background a meticulously arranged fire-altar (agniciti) rises like a sacred geometry of bricks, smoke curling upward in disciplined spirals.","primary_figures":["Gobhila (sage)","Nṛpa-nandinī (daughter of the king)","Agnicayana brāhmaṇa (as a background vignette)"],"setting":"Hermitage classroom near a Vedic altar ground, with brick altar, ladles, and ritual vessels arranged in order.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["saffron","brick red","smoke white","peacock blue","antique gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Gobhila teaching the royal maiden, gold-leaf halo around the sage, richly patterned textiles, gem-studded ornaments on the princess, a stylized agniciti altar with glowing embers, ornate borders and traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate teaching scene in a quiet ashram, delicate brushwork on faces and hands, cool morning light, detailed brick altar and ritual implements, Himalayan-like gentle hills in distance, refined naturalism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, Gobhila with characteristic large eyes and composed posture, princess in respectful listening pose, warm red/yellow/green pigments, decorative altar geometry behind, temple-wall aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: didactic scene framed by floral borders and lotus motifs, central fire-altar as sacred emblem, deep blue background with gold highlights, intricate textile patterning, serene devotional ambience."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["crackling fire","gentle bell","tanpura drone","morning birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: धर्मम्+एव→धर्ममेव; अग्निचित्+ब्राह्मणस्य+अपि→अग्निचिद्ब्राह्मणस्यापि; नृप+नन्दिनी→नृपनन्दिनी (सम्बोधन: नृपनन्दिनि)
FAQs
The speaker is Gobhila, addressing a woman respectfully as “nṛpa-nandinī,” meaning “daughter of the king.”
It introduces a dharma-teaching discourse and invites the listener to hear an account connected with an “agnicid brāhmaṇa,” a brāhmaṇa associated with the Agnicayana fire-altar rite.
The verse frames the upcoming narration as an exposition of dharma, implying moral instruction grounded in traditional religious duty and exemplary conduct.