Shloka 54
The Bestowal of Boons upon Aṅga
संसारदारुणहुताशनतापदग्धं पुत्रादिबंधुमरणैर्बहुशोकतापैः । ज्ञानांबुदेन मम प्लावय पद्मनाभ दीनस्य मच्छरणरूपभवस्व नाथ
saṃsāradāruṇahutāśanatāpadagdhaṃ putrādibaṃdhumaraṇairbahuśokatāpaiḥ | jñānāṃbudena mama plāvaya padmanābha dīnasya maccharaṇarūpabhavasva nātha
ข้าพเจ้าถูกเผาไหม้ด้วยความร้อนแรงดุจไฟอันโหดร้ายแห่งสังสารวัฏ และถูกทรมานด้วยความโศกมากมายจากการตายของบุตรและญาติทั้งหลาย ข้าแต่พระปัทมนาภะ โปรดท่วมท้นข้าพเจ้าด้วยมหาสมุทรแห่งญาณ ข้าแต่พระนาถ ข้าพเจ้าผู้ยากไร้ไร้ที่พึ่ง ขอให้พระบาทของพระองค์เป็นที่พึ่งพิงแก่ข้าพเจ้า
Unspecified devotee/supplicant (addressing Viṣṇu as Padmanābha)
Concept: Saṃsāra’s burning is quenched by jñāna granted through surrender to Padmanābha’s feet; grief becomes a doorway to śaraṇāgati.
Application: When overwhelmed by loss, convert lament into prayer: name the pain, ask for clarity (jñāna) rather than mere relief, and anchor daily practice in a tangible act of refuge—japa, pāda-sevā in imagination, or offering one’s day at the Lord’s feet.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A grief-stricken devotee kneels on cracked, ember-glowing ground as the ‘fire of saṃsāra’ rises like heat-haze around him. Above, Padmanābha’s lotus-navel aura opens into a cool, rainlike cascade—an ‘ocean of knowledge’ pouring down as luminous water, forming a path that leads to the Lord’s feet, which shine as the sole refuge.","primary_figures":["Padmanābha (Viṣṇu)","supplicant devotee"],"setting":"A liminal landscape: half scorched wasteland with tongues of flame, half transformed into a cooling lotus-lake where the falling jñāna-water touches the earth.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["smoky umber","ember orange","raincloud indigo","lotus pink","golden white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Padmanābha enthroned in a radiant prabhāmaṇḍala above a scorched earth, his feet emphasized as refuge; the devotee in humble añjali below; gold leaf embellishment on the halo, ornaments, and the lotus motifs; rich reds and greens framing the scene; gem-studded jewelry, traditional South Indian iconography, stylized flames turning into lotus petals where the jñāna-water falls.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a lyrical contrast of a burnt, ochre hillside and a cool indigo sky; Padmanābha appears in soft cloud-forms pouring shimmering water-streams; delicate brushwork on the devotee’s tearful face; refined facial features; subtle floral borders with lotuses emerging where the water touches ground; gentle atmospheric perspective.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Padmanābha with bold black outlines and large expressive eyes, standing above a stylized flame-field; the jñāna-water rendered as rhythmic white-blue bands; temple-wall aesthetic with red/yellow/green palette accents; ornate chest ornaments and lotus emblem; the devotee in prostration at the feet, emphasizing śaraṇāgati.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Vishnu as Padmanābha centered with lotus and conch motifs; the lower register shows a devotee amid stylized flames that transform into lotus blooms; intricate floral borders, peacocks near the cooling water, deep blues and gold; emphasis on sacred feet as a luminous focal point with patterned textiles and lotuses."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["low temple bells","distant conch shell","soft drone (tanpura)","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पुत्रादिबंधुमरणैर्बहुशोकतापैः = पुत्रादिबंधुमरणैः + बहुशोकतापैः (visarga before b → r). ज्ञानांबुदेन = ज्ञान + अम्बुदेन (ā + a sandhi). मच्छरणरूपभवस्व = मत्-शरण-रूप + भवस्व (t + ś → cch in sandhi: मत् + शरण → मच्छरण).
FAQs
It presents śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) in Viṣṇu’s feet and asks for liberation from saṃsāra through jñāna (spiritual knowledge) that cools the burning afflictions of worldly life.
The “fire of saṃsāra” is a common Purāṇic and Vedāntic metaphor for the painful heat of attachment, loss, fear, and repeated suffering; the devotee seeks cooling relief through divine knowledge and refuge.
The devotee prays devotionally to Padmanābha (bhakti) while specifically requesting to be immersed in the “ocean of knowledge” (jñāna), showing that insight and surrender work together as a means of deliverance.