Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 42
Sukalā’s Account: Ikṣvāku and Sudevā; the Boar’s Resolve and the Dharma of Battle
श्वश्रूश्वशुरकैश्चान्यैः पतिहीना न भाति सा । चंद्रहीना यथा रात्री पुत्रहीनं यथा कुलम्
śvaśrūśvaśurakaiścānyaiḥ patihīnā na bhāti sā | caṃdrahīnā yathā rātrī putrahīnaṃ yathā kulam
అత్తమామలు మరియు ఇతర బంధువులతో చుట్టుముట్టబడి ఉన్నా భర్తలేని స్త్రీ ప్రకాశించదు; చంద్రహీన రాత్రిలా, పుత్రహీన కులంలా।
Unspecified (narrative voice not provided in the input excerpt)
Application: Use as a liturgical marker: pause, reflect on the kathā’s moral, and optionally dedicate merit (puṇya) to Viṣṇu before proceeding.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A palm-leaf manuscript lies open on a low wooden desk; a scribe’s stylus rests beside it as the final colophon line is freshly inked. Behind, a small Viṣṇu shrine glows with a single lamp, suggesting that the act of transmission itself is worship.","primary_figures":["scribe (lekhaka)","reciter (paurāṇika)","listeners (śrotṛ-gaṇa)","small Viṣṇu icon"],"setting":"Manuscript room in an āśrama or temple library with palm-leaf bundles and a lamp-lit shrine niche","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["warm amber","palm-leaf tan","ink black","vermilion","deep teal"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a lamp-lit shrine room with a small Viṣṇu icon in gold leaf, a scribe finishing the colophon on palm leaves, ornate arch motifs, rich reds/greens, embossed gold borders emphasizing ‘śrīpadmapurāṇe’ as sacred text-object.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate āśrama interior, delicate rendering of palm leaves and stylus, cool shadows with warm lamp pool, refined faces of attentive listeners; minimalistic elegance and fine brushwork.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized scribe and reciter with bold outlines, flat warm background, prominent lamp flame, manuscript bundles stacked; temple-wall composition with traditional pigment palette.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic ‘text as lotus’—a manuscript framed by lotus borders, central lamp before a small Viṣṇu motif, intricate floral margins, deep blue background with gold highlights, celebratory yet calm."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["single temple bell","page/palm-leaf rustle","soft drone (tanpura)","brief silence at end"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: श्वश्रूश्वशुरकैश्चान्यैः = श्वश्रूश्वशुरकैः + च + अन्यैः; पतिहीना = पति + हीना; चंद्रहीना = चन्द्र + हीना; पुत्रहीनं = पुत्र + हीनम्
FAQs
It uses two similes—moonless night and sonless family—to stress that, in the verse’s social framing, a husbandless woman is considered deprived of splendor or support even amid in-laws and relatives.
Primarily social dharma: it reflects household and lineage values typical of dharma literature rather than a direct bhakti or metaphysical doctrine.
As a historical-cultural statement from a traditional text: it reveals past norms about marriage and lineage, which can be studied critically without assuming it must prescribe modern social values.