Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 16
Karmic Causality, Fate, and the Supremacy of Food-Charity
within Guru-tīrtha Glorification
आत्मना विहितं दुःखमात्मना विहितं सुखम् । गर्भशय्यामुपादाय भुंजते पूर्वदेहिकम्
ātmanā vihitaṃ duḥkhamātmanā vihitaṃ sukham | garbhaśayyāmupādāya bhuṃjate pūrvadehikam
Duka ditentukan oleh diri sendiri, dan bahagia juga ditentukan oleh diri sendiri. Menjadikan rahim sebagai peraduan, makhluk menikmati hasil karma yang terbawa dari jasad terdahulu (kelahiran lampau).
Unspecified narrator (contextual speaker not provided in the input excerpt)
Concept: Happiness and sorrow arise from one’s own prior actions; prarabdha is carried into rebirth and experienced even from the womb onward.
Application: Own your choices: reduce blame, cultivate sattvic habits, and pair effort with prayer—accepting outcomes as prarabdha while creating better future karma through dharma and devotion.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A translucent cosmic womb appears like a lotus-bud chamber, cradling a tiny jīva curled in fetal posture, while faint silhouettes of past-life deeds—some luminous, some smoky—spiral around like threads of fate. Above, an unseen Vishnuic order is suggested by a vast, calm mandala, implying that karma ripens within divine law, not chaos.","primary_figures":["symbolic jīva (fetal form)","personified Karma (as threads/scrolls)","subtle Vishnu mandala presence (aniconic)"],"setting":"Cosmic interior space resembling a lotus-womb (garbha) with ethereal membranes and floating samskara-impressions.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["lotus pink","deep indigo","soft pearl white","antique gold","smoky umber"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a lotus-womb chamber rendered as a sacred mandala, fetal jīva at center on a stylized lotus bed, gold leaf halo patterns forming karmic wheels, rich crimson and emerald borders, ornate filigree suggesting Vishnu’s cosmic order, gem-like highlights on the mandala rings.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate fetal figure within a lotus-bud womb, fine linework showing drifting samskara-clouds, cool indigo background with pale pink lotus tones, lyrical minimalism, soft gradients and refined facial features on a faint personified Karma attendant, quiet Himalayan-sky ambience.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines of a lotus-womb mandala, fetal jīva in stylized posture, natural pigment reds/yellows/greens, rhythmic circular motifs for karma-chakra, temple-wall symmetry, large expressive eyes on a subtle Dharma/Karma personification.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: lotus motifs dominating the womb-space, intricate floral borders, aniconic Vishnu presence as a radiant shankha-chakra mandala above, peacocks at the border corners, deep blue ground with gold detailing, karmic threads depicted as garlands encircling the central lotus."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","low tanpura drone","silence between lines","distant conch shell"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दुःखम् आत्मना → दुःखमात्मना; गर्भशय्याम् उपादाय → गर्भशय्यामुपादाय; भुंजते (IAST bhuṃjate) = भुञ्जते.
FAQs
It teaches karma: one’s happiness and suffering arise from one’s own actions, and the results of past deeds are experienced again through rebirth.
It poetically describes embodiment and rebirth—entering the womb to take on a new body in which past-life karmic results are experienced.
Personal responsibility: since outcomes are self-caused through karma, one should cultivate wholesome actions to shape future well-being.