Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 127
Pitṛmātṛtīrtha Greatness & the Discourse on Embodiment: Karma, Birth, Impurity, and Dispassion
नौषधं न तपो दानं न माता न च बांधवाः । शक्नुवंति परित्रातुं नरं कालेन पीडितम्
nauṣadhaṃ na tapo dānaṃ na mātā na ca bāṃdhavāḥ | śaknuvaṃti paritrātuṃ naraṃ kālena pīḍitam
ไม่ใช่ยา ไม่ใช่ตบะ ไม่ใช่ทาน แม้แต่มารดาหรือญาติพี่น้อง ก็ไม่อาจคุ้มครองมนุษย์ผู้ถูกรังควานโดยกาลเวลาได้
Unspecified (narrative voice within the Adhyaya; exact dialogue speaker not provided in the input)
Concept: Worldly supports—medicine, tapas, dāna, even family—cannot ultimately shield one from the affliction of Time; therefore one should seek the timeless refuge (Hari) and cultivate detachment.
Application: Use health, discipline, and charity without imagining they grant control over mortality; prioritize daily remembrance of Viṣṇu, ethical living, and preparing the mind for impermanence.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A lone traveler stands at a crossroads where a physician’s satchel, a mendicant’s staff, a heap of alms, and the silhouettes of mother and kin all recede into mist. Above, an immense, unseen wheel of Time casts a shadow like a sundial across the earth, emphasizing the futility of clinging to any single worldly safeguard.","primary_figures":["Personified Kāla (subtle, shadow-like presence)","A mortal seeker","Mother and relatives (fading forms)","Physician","Ascetic","Donor with alms"],"setting":"A symbolic crossroads outside a quiet village, with a distant temple spire barely visible through haze; scattered objects representing medicine, tapas, and charity.","lighting_mood":"twilight-foreboding","color_palette":["smoky indigo","ash gray","muted ochre","lamp-gold","deep maroon"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: allegorical scene of Kāla as a vast shadow-wheel above a mortal at a crossroads; foreground shows medicine bowl, rosary, and alms plate rendered with gold leaf highlights; mother and relatives depicted as fading figures; rich reds and greens, ornate borders, gem-studded accents on symbolic objects, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a delicate twilight landscape with a solitary figure at a forked path; small vignettes of mother, kin, healer, and ascetic dissolving into mist; cool blues and soft browns, lyrical naturalism, fine facial features, distant temple silhouette and rolling hills.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines of a mortal and symbolic emblems (medicine pot, japa-mālā, dāna vessel) under a looming circular Kāla motif; flat temple-wall composition, strong reds/yellows/greens, stylized eyes, rhythmic border patterns.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic composition with a central human figure beneath a large wheel motif; lotus borders and intricate floral patterns; deep blue ground with gold detailing; subtle inclusion of a distant Viṣṇu shrine as the only steady element amid fading worldly supports."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple bell","distant conch","wind through trees","long pauses","soft drone (tanpura)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: nauṣadham = na + auṣadham (phonetic coalescence in recitation); śaknuvaṃti normalized to śaknuvanti
FAQs
It teaches the supremacy of Kāla (Time): when a person is seized by Time, ordinary supports—medicine, austerity, charity, and even family—cannot ultimately prevent suffering or death.
No. It emphasizes their limitation in the face of Kāla, not their worthlessness; they can help within human scope, but they cannot override the final power of Time.
It encourages detachment and urgency in righteous living—recognizing impermanence, one should practice dharma and spiritual discipline without complacency about worldly protections.