Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 13
Dialogue of Gobhila and Padmāvatī: Daitya Obstruction vs. the Power of Pativratā Dharma
पद्मावत्युवाच । मम धर्मः सुकायश्च त्वयैव परिनाशितः । अहं पतिव्रता साध्वी पतिकामा तपस्विनी
padmāvatyuvāca | mama dharmaḥ sukāyaśca tvayaiva parināśitaḥ | ahaṃ pativratā sādhvī patikāmā tapasvinī
పద్మావతి పలికింది—నా ధర్మమూ నా సుందర దేహమూ నీ వల్లనే నాశనమయ్యాయి. నేను పతివ్రత సాధ్విని—భర్తకామినీ తపస్విని।
Padmāvatī
Concept: Pativratā-dharma and tapas are presented as inner power; violation of a virtuous person’s dharma is a grave adharma with karmic consequence.
Application: Honor commitments and protect the dignity of others; cultivate integrity (dharma) and self-restraint (tapas) as strength, not weakness.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: forest
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Padmāvatī stands with matted hair and simple ascetic garments, yet her presence is luminous—eyes wet with grief and blazing with moral certainty. The air around her seems to tremble with the force of chastity and tapas, while the offender’s shadow looms at the edge, suggesting the harm done to her dharma and beauty.","primary_figures":["Padmāvatī","Implied offender (Dānava/Daitya)"],"setting":"Forest hermitage clearing with kusa grass, a small water pot, and a distant sacrificial fire-smoke line; minimalism emphasizing her vow.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["lotus pink","saffron ochre","smoke grey","forest green","soft gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Padmāvatī as a sādhvī with a subtle gold-leaf aura, expressive eyes, simple ornaments, rich red-green background panels, a small hermitage and agni motif, gold embellishment on borders and halo, South Indian devotional iconography emphasizing chastity-tejas.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: Padmāvatī in an ashram grove, delicate sorrowful expression, pale pink and saffron garments, fine foliage and a small hut, restrained palette with lyrical naturalism, the offender hinted as a dark silhouette beyond trees.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, Padmāvatī centered with large serene-yet-intense eyes, warm yellow-red-green pigments, patterned background, symbolic lotus and flame motifs indicating purity and tapas.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Padmāvatī framed by lotus vines and floral borders, symbolic lotuses representing purity, deep blue-green ground with gold highlights, intricate textile-like detailing, a small central flame emblem for tapas."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["soft temple bell","rustling leaves","distant conch","low sustained tanpura drone"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: padmāvatyuvāca→padmāvatī + uvāca; sukāyaśca→sukāyaḥ ca; tvayaiva→tvayā eva.
FAQs
Padmāvatī is speaking. She laments that her dharma and even her bodily well-being have been ruined by the addressed person, while asserting her identity as a pativratā—chaste, husband-devoted, and austere.
It presents pativratā-dharma as a blend of fidelity (pativratā), moral purity (sādhvī), and disciplined restraint (tapasvinī), with marital devotion (patikāmā) as a defining motivation.
The verse highlights moral accountability: harmful actions toward a virtuous person are portrayed as direct causes of their suffering and the disruption of dharma, underscoring the duty to protect—not violate—righteous conduct and personal dignity.