Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 28
The Birth and Preservation of Nahuṣa
Guru-tīrtha Greatness within the Vena Episode
जह्येनं बालकं दुष्टं मेकलेऽद्य महानसे । सूदहस्ते प्रदेहि त्वं हुण्डभोजनहेतवे
jahyenaṃ bālakaṃ duṣṭaṃ mekale'dya mahānase | sūdahaste pradehi tvaṃ huṇḍabhojanahetave
آج میکلا میں اس بدکار لڑکے کو نکال دو، اسے بڑے باورچی خانے میں ڈال دو۔ اسے باورچی کے ہاتھوں کے سپرد کر دو، تاکہ وہ ہُنڈوں کی خوراک بن جائے۔
Unspecified (imperative command within the narrative; exact speaker not identifiable from the single verse alone)
Concept: Adharma reaches its ugliest when the vulnerable are treated as consumable objects; power can pervert even domestic spaces into instruments of sin.
Application: Refuse dehumanizing language and orders; protect dependents; recognize how institutions can normalize cruelty.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A grim order is delivered at the threshold of a vast royal kitchen: copper cauldrons gleam, knives hang, and smoke coils upward like a dark omen. The small boy is framed against towering hearths, while the mention of Huṇḍas turns the scene into a nightmare of impending devouring.","primary_figures":["Vipulā (issuing command)","Mekalā","the boy","kitchen servants (background)"],"setting":"great palace kitchen with massive hearths, hanging ladles, grain jars, and a service doorway leading to a courtyard","lighting_mood":"firelit and smoky","color_palette":["soot black","copper bronze","ember orange","dirty white","blood red"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic palace kitchen with oversized copper vessels, gold leaf on utensils and borders; Vipulā pointing sternly, Mekalā receiving the order, the boy small and vulnerable; rich reds and greens contrasted with smoky blacks, ornate frame, stylized flames with gold highlights.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate yet tense kitchen scene; delicate depiction of hearth smoke, copper pots, and the child’s frightened posture; subdued earthy palette with sharp red accents, refined faces showing cruelty and fear, architectural niches and hanging tools rendered with fine brushwork.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, fiery kitchen backdrop, exaggerated expressive eyes; the boy centered with protective negative space, Vipulā’s commanding hand prominent; red-yellow-green pigments with black smoke curls forming ominous patterns.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: narrative panel with ornate floral border; kitchen rendered stylized with lotus motifs ironically placed on vessels; deep blue background with gold and orange flames, attendants in rhythmic arrangement, the boy near a doorway, tension conveyed through posture and spacing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["roaring hearth fire","metal clank of pots","sharp command-like cadence","distant drumbeat"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: jahyenaṃ = jahi + enam; mekale'dya = mekale + adya (e + a → 'e' with avagraha).
FAQs
In Purāṇic and classical Sanskrit usage, “Huṇḍa/Huṇa” can denote a northern people/tribe; here the verse uses them as the intended consumers (“food for the Huṇḍas”), functioning as a harsh narrative motif rather than a doctrinal teaching.
Mekalā typically refers to the Mekala region, associated with central Indian geography (often linked with the Narmadā’s source area). In this verse it serves as a place-reference for the commanded action.
Taken alone, the verse reflects a severe punitive command within a story-setting; ethically, it is best read as descriptive narrative of a character’s intent rather than prescriptive moral instruction. The broader adhyāya context is needed to interpret the intended lesson.