Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 40
The Aśokasundarī–Nahuṣa Episode: Demon Stratagems, Protection by Merit, and Lineage Prophecy
मा कृथा दारुणं दुःखं मुंच शोकमकारणम् । स हि जीवति धर्मात्मा मात्रा पित्रा विना वने
mā kṛthā dāruṇaṃ duḥkhaṃ muṃca śokamakāraṇam | sa hi jīvati dharmātmā mātrā pitrā vinā vane
อย่าปล่อยใจให้จมในทุกข์อันน่าสะพรึง; จงละโศกที่ไร้เหตุนี้เสียเถิด เพราะท่านผู้มีธรรมเป็นอาตมันนั้นยังมีชีวิตอยู่ พำนักในป่าโดยปราศจากมารดาบิดา
Unspecified (context-dependent dialogue within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa; exact speaker not identifiable from the single verse alone)
Concept: Do not succumb to needless grief; dharmic life persists even amid separation and hardship.
Application: When anxious, pause and verify facts; practice steadiness, prayer, and constructive action rather than spiraling sorrow.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: forest
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sorrowing woman sits with loosened hair and tearful eyes, while a calm sage or elder gently raises a hand in reassurance, pointing toward a distant forest path. In the background, the dharmic youth is glimpsed alive in a quiet hermitage grove, gathering firewood beneath tall sal trees—small, but unmistakably safe.","primary_figures":["Grieving mother/queen figure","Consoling speaker (sage/elder/minister)","Dharmic youth in the forest (dharmaatma)"],"setting":"Hermitage outskirts with a visible transition from palace sorrow to forest serenity; a simple hut, yajna smoke, and deer nearby.","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["earth brown","leaf green","saffron ochre","soft ivory","twilight violet"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: foreground grieving lady with ornate yet subdued jewelry, consoling sage with gold leaf halo, background vignette of the youth in a forest hermitage, embossed gold details on borders and halos, rich warm tones balanced with green foliage, devotional calm overcoming sorrow.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate emotional scene with delicate expressions, the consoling gesture rendered with fine brushwork, layered forest greens and a pale sky, distant hermitage painted with lyrical naturalism, soft color gradations emphasizing the shift from grief to hope.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized sorrow and reassurance with bold outlines, expressive eyes, simplified forest forms, red/yellow/green palette, a clear narrative split—foreground grief, background hermitage safety—like a temple storytelling panel.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central consoling tableau framed by floral borders, lotus motifs symbolizing renewed hope, peacocks at corners, deep blue-green ground, subtle gold highlights; the forest hermitage appears as a small narrative medallion within the textile composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["gentle silence","distant flowing water","soft bell chime","evening birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शोकमकारणम् = शोकम् + अकारणम्; (पाठे ‘मुंच’ = ‘मुञ्च’)
FAQs
It counsels restraint in grief: one should not indulge in groundless sorrow, especially when the virtuous person in question is still alive.
“Dharmātmā” indicates a person whose inner nature is aligned with dharma; the verse uses this as reassurance that such a person endures—even in hardship like living in a forest without parental support.
It promotes emotional steadiness and discernment: do not amplify suffering through unfounded assumptions, and respond to distress with clarity and trust in dharma.