Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 56
The Nature of Knowledge, the Guru as Living Tīrtha, and the Law of Final Remembrance
वेन उवाच । नाहं राज्यस्य कामार्थी नान्यत्किंचित्प्रकामये । सदेहो गंतुमिच्छामि तव कायं जनार्दन
vena uvāca | nāhaṃ rājyasya kāmārthī nānyatkiṃcitprakāmaye | sadeho gaṃtumicchāmi tava kāyaṃ janārdana
Vena disse: «Não desejo a realeza por cobiça de poder, nem anseio por qualquer outra coisa. Ó Janārdana, desejo ir—com o corpo intacto—para a Tua forma divina.»
Vena
Concept: Vairāgya culminates in surrender and the aspiration for sāyujya/entering the Lord’s form while still embodied (sad-eha).
Application: Practice desire-audit: reduce identity tied to status; daily offer one action ‘for Janārdana’ and cultivate remembrance at the moment of decision.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A crowned king, Vena, stands with folded palms before Janārdana, his face softened by renunciation. Viṣṇu’s form appears as a vast, luminous body-temple—galaxies and lotuses subtly patterned across His skin—inviting the devotee inward, as if the Lord’s chest is a doorway of light.","primary_figures":["Vena","Janārdana (Viṣṇu)"],"setting":"A liminal royal courtyard dissolving into a cosmic sanctum; pillars fade into lotus petals and starfields, suggesting the transition from worldly sovereignty to divine refuge.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["sapphire blue","lotus pink","gold leaf","pearl white","emerald green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Vena in regal yet humbled posture offering añjali before Janārdana; Viṣṇu seated on a lotus with śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-padma, chest marked with Śrīvatsa; heavy gold leaf halo, embossed ornaments, rich crimson-green drapery, gem-studded crown; background patterned with lotus medallions suggesting ‘entering the divine form’.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a lyrical court scene at the edge of a river-garden that melts into a celestial vista; delicate brushwork, refined faces, soft blues and pinks; Viṣṇu’s aura rendered as translucent concentric lotuses; Vena’s crown slightly lowered, signaling vairāgya; subtle Himalayan cloud bands framing the divine presence.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and warm natural pigments; Janārdana monumental with large expressive eyes, ornate jewelry, and lotus throne; Vena smaller, hands folded, standing on a stylized palace floor that transitions into a lotus pond motif; dominant reds, yellows, greens with deep blue for Viṣṇu’s body.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Krishna-Viṣṇu as Janārdana centered amid a lotus mandala; Vena at the lower border in devotion; intricate floral borders, peacocks and cows as auspicious fillers; deep indigo ground with gold highlights; the ‘entry into the Lord’ suggested by a radiant doorway motif at the heart-lotus."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","conch shell (distant)","silence","gentle drone (tanpura)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नाहम् = न + अहम्; नान्यत् = न + अन्यत्; अन्यत्किञ्चित् = अन्यत् + किञ्चित्; किञ्चित्प्रकामये = किञ्चित् + प्रकामये; गन्तुमिच्छामि = गन्तुम् + इच्छामि
FAQs
Vena expresses renunciation of worldly sovereignty and a direct aspiration for union with Janārdana—seeking to enter the Lord’s divine form rather than pursue temporal power.
“Sadehaḥ” suggests a wish for bodily, intact entry—an extraordinary form of liberation motif where the devotee seeks to merge or be received by the Lord without abandoning the body in the ordinary way.
It frames kingship as morally secondary to spiritual realization: true fulfillment is not in rule or possessions but in turning away from desire and orienting oneself toward the Divine.