Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 103
Aśokasundarī and Huṇḍa: Chastity, Karma, and the Foretold Rise of Nahuṣa
इति श्रीपद्मपुराणे भूमिखंडे वेनोपाख्याने गुरुतीर्थमाहात्म्ये च्यवनचरित्रे त्र्यधिकशततमोऽध्यायः
iti śrīpadmapurāṇe bhūmikhaṃḍe venopākhyāne gurutīrthamāhātmye cyavanacaritre tryadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ
ఇట్లు శ్రీపద్మపురాణం భూమిఖండంలో, వేనోపాఖ్యానాంతర్గత గురుతీర్థమాహాత్మ్యంలో, చ్యవనచరిత్రంలోని నూటమూడవ అధ్యాయం సమాప్తమైంది.
Narratorial colophon (chapter-ending rubric)
Concept: Colophon signals the text’s self-conscious sacred cartography: tīrtha-māhātmya and guru-reverence are vehicles of purification and narrative authority.
Application: Honor learning lineages; approach pilgrimage and sacred reading with humility and completion—finish what you begin (pāṭha-niyama).
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A manuscript-like sacred ending scene: a sage-narrator closes a palm-leaf folio while, in the background, a serene tīrtha with steps and a small shrine glows at dawn. The composition feels like a seal of authenticity—text, place, and lineage bound together.","primary_figures":["Sūta-like narrator figure (symbolic)","listening ṛṣis (symbolic)","a small shrine deity emblem (Vishnu symbol)"],"setting":"Hermitage library beside a tīrtha ghat; palm-leaf manuscripts, ink pot, prayer beads","lighting_mood":"golden dawn, calm radiance","color_palette":["parchment beige","saffron gold","river jade","lotus pink","deep teal"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: colophon tableau—sage closing a manuscript, Guru-tīrtha ghat and shrine behind; gold leaf on manuscript borders and shrine vimāna, rich reds/greens, jewel-like detailing, devotional serenity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: quiet hermitage scene with palm-leaf folios, a river ghat in the distance; delicate brushwork, cool greens and blues, refined faces, lyrical dawn sky, subtle sacred geography.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: temple-wall aesthetic—narrator-sage with stylized eyes holding a manuscript, tīrtha steps and shrine rendered in flat pigments, bold outlines, auspicious red/yellow/green palette with calm symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: manuscript and tīrtha framed by lotus borders; deep blue ground with gold script-like motifs, floral vines, small Vishnu emblems (conch/lotus) repeating, celebratory yet contemplative Nathdwara-inspired ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","flowing water","page/leaf rustle","morning birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: tryadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ → tryadhikaśatatamaḥ adhyāyaḥ (o' = aḥ + a).
FAQs
It is a colophon: a formal chapter-ending marker that identifies the text (Padma Purāṇa), the section (Bhūmi-khaṇḍa), the sub-narrative (Vena episode), the topic (Gurutīrtha-māhātmya), and the chapter number (103).
Māhātmya denotes a section praising the sacred power and religious significance of a place, deity, vow, or practice—here, the sanctity of Guru-tīrtha.
They function as internal cataloging: the colophon states the broader narrative frame (Vena-upākhyāna) and the specific embedded story (Cyavana-caritra) to help readers locate the chapter within the Purāṇa’s layered structure.