Shloka 5
Praise of Digging Wells and Building Water-Reservoirs
The Merit of Water-Works
मेघे वर्षति खाते च जायंते ये तु शीकराः । तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि दिवमश्नाति मानवः
meghe varṣati khāte ca jāyaṃte ye tu śīkarāḥ | tāvadvarṣasahasrāṇi divamaśnāti mānavaḥ
మేఘము వర్షించగా భూమిపై పడినప్పుడు ఎంతమంది చినుకులు చిమ్ముతాయో, అంత సహస్ర సంవత్సరాలు మనవుడు స్వర్గసుఖమును అనుభవించును।
Unspecified (context-dependent within Adhyaya 57; commonly part of a narrator-to-inquirer dialogue in the Padma Purāṇa)
Concept: Even minute units (droplets) become measures of vast karmic fruit; dharma’s results can be unimaginably expansive when tied to life-sustaining elements like water.
Application: Do not dismiss small acts of service—each ‘drop’ of help accumulates; cultivate consistent generosity, especially toward basic needs (water).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A monsoon cloud bursts over parched earth, and as raindrops strike the ground, a spray of countless shimmering droplets rises like pearls. In a visionary overlay, each droplet transforms into a tiny star, forming a luminous ladder to svarga where the benefactor’s subtle body enjoys celestial gardens—making the verse’s ‘thousands of years’ feel tangible.","primary_figures":["monsoon cloud (Parjanya motif)","human benefactor (symbolic)","celestial beings (apsaras/gandharvas as silhouettes)"],"setting":"Open landscape at the first monsoon rain; visionary celestial garden superimposed above","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["storm indigo","silver rain","emerald earth","pearl white","celestial gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic monsoon cloud releasing silver rain over earth; gold leaf used to highlight each droplet-sparkle turning into celestial stars; upper register shows svarga garden with ornate arches, apsaras in rich silks, gem-studded motifs, and a radiant path connecting rain to heaven.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: poetic monsoon landscape with fine rain lines and delicate spray; subtle mystical transition to a pale-gold celestial terrace above; cool blues and greens, refined figures, lyrical atmosphere capturing wonder without heaviness.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold cloud form and patterned rain; symbolic droplets rendered as pearl-like circles rising; upper band shows svarga with stylized dancers and attendants; strong contrasts, temple-wall composition, red/yellow/green accents against indigo.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: rain rendered as strings of pearls over a deep indigo field; droplets become lotus buds and stars; ornate floral borders, peacocks dancing in rain, upper section with golden celestial grove—dense decorative detailing linking nature’s rain to spiritual reward."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["thunder rumble","heavy rainfall","water splashing","distant conch"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि → तावत् वर्षसहस्राणि; दिवमश्नाति → दिवम् अश्नाति
FAQs
It expresses a karmic result (puṇya-phala): a meritorious act yields a long enjoyment of heaven, described through a vivid numerical metaphor—counting rain-spray droplets as a measure of duration.
Rain droplets are innumerable and immediate to observe; the image functions as a poetic way to indicate an immense, hard-to-count reward—“as many as the droplets, so many thousand years.”
This specific verse frames results in terms of merit and heavenly enjoyment (svarga). In the broader Padma Purāṇa, such merit-based passages often coexist with (and are sometimes contrasted against) bhakti-focused teachings elsewhere.