Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 32
Dialogue of Gobhila and Padmāvatī: Daitya Obstruction vs. the Power of Pativratā Dharma
त्यक्त्वा कांतं व्रजेन्नारी अन्यत्कार्यमिहेच्छति । सा मता पुंश्चली लोके सर्वधर्मबहिष्कृता
tyaktvā kāṃtaṃ vrajennārī anyatkāryamihecchati | sā matā puṃścalī loke sarvadharmabahiṣkṛtā
สตรีใดละทิ้งสามีอันเป็นที่รัก แล้วไปที่อื่นด้วยความใคร่ปรารถนากิจอื่นในโลกนี้ นางถูกนับว่าเป็นหญิงสำส่อน และถูกตัดออกจากเกียรติแห่งธรรมทั้งปวง
Unspecified (narrative voice not provided in the excerpt; likely within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma instructional frame typical of the Bhūmi-khaṇḍa)
Concept: Socially recognized dharma is framed as fidelity and steadiness; abandoning one’s spouse for another desire is treated as adharma and loss of honor.
Application: Guard impulsive desire; keep commitments; cultivate steadiness in relationships and vows; seek counsel and reconciliation rather than secretive pursuit of ‘other affairs’.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A didactic tableau in a village threshold: a woman turns away from her household altar and spouse’s garlanded portrait, stepping toward a shadowed lane where temptation beckons. Elders and women of the community watch with stern, sorrow-tinged faces, while a small lamp near a Tulasi platform flickers as if warning of dharma’s dimming.","primary_figures":["village woman (symbolic)","household elders","Tulasi shrine (as silent witness)"],"setting":"rural courtyard with a Tulasi-vṛndāvana, doorway, and a narrow village street receding into dusk","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["smoked umber","lamp-gold","deep maroon","ash gray","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: moral-didactic village courtyard scene with a Tulasi-vṛndāvana and brass oil lamp in the foreground, the woman mid-step toward a dark lane, elders seated in judgment; heavy gold leaf highlights on lamp flame, jewelry, and architectural borders; rich reds, greens, and burnished gold, traditional South Indian ornamentation and patterned textiles.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a quiet courtyard with delicate linework, the woman turning away from a simple domestic shrine, elders observing; cool twilight wash over the village lane, lyrical trees and a small Tulasi planter; refined faces, restrained gestures, soft gradients and fine textile patterns.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, stylized expressive eyes, the woman at the threshold with a Tulasi platform and lamp; strong red-yellow-green palette, flat temple-wall composition, ornamental borders, moral tension conveyed through posture and gaze.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic composition with a central Tulasi-vṛndāvana and lamp, floral borders and lotus motifs; the woman and elders arranged like a narrative frieze; deep indigo background with gold detailing, intricate vines and peacocks as moral witnesses, Nathdwara-inspired ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["temple bells (distant)","evening silence","soft footfalls","oil lamp crackle"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: व्रजेन्नारी = व्रजेत् + नारी; अन्यत्कार्यम् = अन्यत् + कार्यम्; इहेच्छति = इह + इच्छति.
FAQs
It presents a dharma-based social ethic that condemns abandoning one’s partner to pursue another relationship or agenda, portraying such conduct as socially censured and outside dharmic approval.
No. The verse is purely normative/ethical and does not reference specific deities, sacred places, or pilgrimage geography.
As a reflection of the text’s historical-social dharma framework: it expresses a traditional moral evaluation rather than a neutral description, and should be interpreted within its cultural and legal-ethical context.