Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 13
Indra’s Purification and the Limits of Pilgrimage: Four Sinners Seek Release
यस्मात्त्वया मलं मेऽद्य विधृतं श्रमदायकम् । तस्मात्त्वमन्नपानैश्च धनधान्यैरलंकृतः
yasmāttvayā malaṃ me'dya vidhṛtaṃ śramadāyakam | tasmāttvamannapānaiśca dhanadhānyairalaṃkṛtaḥ
Oleh sebab engkau pada hari ini telah mengangkat dan menyingkirkan kekotoranku—beban yang melelahkan—maka semoga engkau dikurniai makanan dan minuman, serta dihiasi dengan kekayaan dan hasil bijirin.
Unspecified (context-dependent within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa narrative)
Concept: Service that alleviates another’s burden is dharmic and deserves tangible support; gratitude is itself a purifier.
Application: Respect sanitation/menial workers; repay help with sustenance and security; treat ‘dirty work’ as dignified service.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A weary laborer stands with a basket of refuse set aside, while a dignified benefactor offers a brass vessel of water and a platter of food, symbolically turning ‘mala’ into merit. In the background, a small shrine with a Viṣṇu emblem (śaṅkha-cakra) suggests that compassionate recompense is a form of worship.","primary_figures":["benevolent authority figure (patron/kingly person)","humble worker (carrier of filth)","attendant priest or witness"],"setting":"Town edge near a cleansing ghat; earthen lanes, a modest shrine, grain sacks and water pots arranged as gifts.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["ochre earth","brass gold","indigo shadow","rice-white","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a benevolent patron blessing a humble worker who has removed impurity, offering anna-pāna and sacks of dhānya; gold leaf halos, rich maroon and emerald textiles, gem-studded ornaments, stylized shrine with śaṅkha-cakra motifs, ornate borders and embossed gold detailing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a tender scene of gratitude—patron offering food and water to a tired worker; delicate brushwork, soft facial expressions, cool morning sky, small shrine and grain bundles, lyrical naturalism with fine textiles and gentle landscape contours.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and warm natural pigments; patron in regal stance extending a vessel of water and a plate of food, worker in humble posture; temple-wall aesthetic with stylized lotus and conch motifs, dominant reds/yellows/greens and rhythmic ornamentation.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional reinterpretation—Viṣṇu’s grace implied through a small altar; lotus borders, intricate floral vines, peacocks near grain heaps, deep blue background with gold highlights, central act of anna-dāna as sacred offering."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","morning birds","distant market murmur","water poured into a vessel"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: yasmāt+tvayā → yasmāttvayā; me+adya → me'dya; tasmāt+tvam → tasmāttvam; annapānaiḥ+ca → annapānaiśca; dhān(y)aiḥ+alaṃkṛtaḥ → dhanadhānyairalaṃkṛtaḥ.
FAQs
It frames humble service—taking on unpleasant, tiring work for another—as a meritorious act that deserves gratitude and material support.
The verse explicitly blesses the helper with basic sustenance (food and drink) and prosperity (wealth and grain), highlighting welfare and livelihood as fruits of service.
The language functions like a phala-śruti/blessing: good deeds (seva) generate tangible well-being. In Purāṇic ethics this aligns with puṇya-based merit, and can also support a broader bhakti ethos of selfless service.