Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 76

Yayāti’s Summons to Heaven and the Teaching on Old Age, the Five-Element Body, and Self–Body Discernment

Devanagari script

यावद्रसस्य चाधिक्यं तावज्जीवः प्रशांतिमान् । चरित्वा तादृशं वह्निः क्षुधारूपेण वर्तते

Transliteration

yāvadrasasya cādhikyaṃ tāvajjīvaḥ praśāṃtimān | caritvā tādṛśaṃ vahniḥ kṣudhārūpeṇa vartate

Translation

Hangga’t sagana ang rasa, nananatiling payapa ang nilalang na may buhay. Ngunit kapag nalampasan iyon, ang panloob na apoy ay kumikilos bilang gutom.

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as/so much as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-सूचक (correlative: 'as long as/so much as')

• रसस्य: of the essence/juice
• रसस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• आधिक्यम्: abundance/excess
• आधिक्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आधिक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तावत्: so long/that much
• तावत्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावद्-यावद्-सम्बन्धे (correlative: 'so long/so much')

• जीवः: the living being
• जीवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रशान्तिमान्: possessing calmness/peaceful
• प्रशान्तिमान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रशान्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + मतुप् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (possessive adjective)

• चरित्वा: having moved/after moving
• चरित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• तादृशम्: such/that kind of
• तादृशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तादृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• वह्निः: fire
• वह्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• क्षुधारूपेण: in the form of hunger
• क्षुधारूपेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षुधा (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (क्षुधायाः रूपम्)

• वर्तते: exists/behaves/continues
• वर्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Unspecified (context-dependent within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa Adhyaya 64)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: यावत् + रसस्य → यावद्रसस्य; च + आधिक्यम् → चाधिक्यम्; तावत् + जीवः → तावज्जीवः।

FAQs

What does the verse mean by ‘rasa’ (रस)?

Here ‘rasa’ is best read as the nourishing bodily essence—sap/juice that sustains the system. When it is plentiful, the body-mind stays settled; when it declines, hunger arises.

Why is hunger described as ‘fire’ (vahni)?

The verse frames hunger as the manifestation of inner digestive/metabolic fire: when nourishment is no longer in surplus, that fire appears as the felt need to eat.

What ethical or practical lesson is implied?

A practical lesson is moderation and attentiveness to bodily signals: tranquility is linked to balanced nourishment, while hunger is a natural function of agni—neither to be indulged blindly nor ignored.