Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 31
Karmas Leading to Hell and Heaven
Ethical Catalog of Destinies
सुवर्णस्य च दातारो गवां भूमेश्च भारत । अन्नानां वाससां चैव ते नराः स्वर्गगामिनः
suvarṇasya ca dātāro gavāṃ bhūmeśca bhārata | annānāṃ vāsasāṃ caiva te narāḥ svargagāminaḥ
ਹੇ ਭਾਰਤ! ਜੋ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਸੋਨਾ, ਗਾਂਵਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਧਰਤੀ ਦਾ ਦਾਨ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ, ਅਤੇ ਅੰਨ ਤੇ ਵਸਤ੍ਰ ਵੀ ਦਿੰਦੇ ਹਨ, ਉਹ ਨਿਸਚਿਤ ਹੀ ਸਵਰਗ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਹੁੰਦੇ ਹਨ।
Unspecified (contextual narrator addressing 'Bhārata')
Concept: Dāna of high-value and life-sustaining goods (hiraṇya, go, bhūmi, anna, vastra) generates puṇya leading to svarga.
Application: Regularize giving: support food security, clothing drives, cow-care/animal welfare, and land/space for dharmic use (temple kitchens, shelters). Give proportionally and consistently, not only ceremonially.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dharmic donor stands at a temple courtyard distributing gold coins, a gentle cow with a calf, and bundles of grain, while attendants offer folded cloth to the needy. Above, a subtle celestial pathway opens—soft clouds and distant vimānas—suggesting svarga as the unseen fruit of visible compassion.","primary_figures":["pious householder (dātā)","brahmin recipients","poor families","cow with calf","temple priest (optional)"],"setting":"stone temple courtyard with a small annadāna-śālā, grain baskets, land-grant copperplate on a low altar, and a tulasi planter at the edge (as a Vaiṣṇava ambience cue).","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["gold leaf","sandalwood beige","emerald green","vermilion red","indigo shadow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a richly adorned Vaiṣṇava-aligned donor in silk dhoti offers gold coins, a decorated cow with calf, sacks of grain, and folded garments to brahmins and the poor in a temple courtyard; heavy gold leaf halos, ornate pillars, deep reds and greens, gem-studded jewelry, stylized lotus borders, subtle svarga-vimāna clouds above.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a serene courtyard scene of dāna—cow with calf, grain baskets, cloth bundles—delicate linework and refined faces; cool natural palette with soft greens and blues, distant hills and a small shrine, lyrical gestures of giving, minimal but expressive celestial clouds hinting at svarga.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined figures in a temple compound; the donor extends gold and cloth, a cow stands calmly; warm red/yellow/green pigments, large expressive eyes, rhythmic ornamentation, lamp flames and floral motifs framing the dharma act as sacred theatre.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: annadāna and go-dāna in a Krishna-Vishnu devotional courtyard; lotus and creeper borders, peacocks near grain baskets, cows prominent, deep blue background with gold highlights, celebratory yet reverent composition suggesting divine approval."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["temple bells","soft conch shell","murmur of charity line","cow bells"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: bhūmeḥ ca → bhūmeśca; ca eva → caiva.
FAQs
It praises giving gold, cows, land, food (grain), and clothing—classic forms of merit-producing charity in Dharma literature.
The verse states that such donors become “svarga-gāminaḥ,” meaning they attain heaven.
It teaches that generosity—especially supporting others through wealth, sustenance, and basic necessities—is a righteous act that leads to auspicious spiritual results.