Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 18
Prologue to the Suvrata Narrative: Revā (Narmadā) and Vāmana-tīrtha; Greed, Anxiety, and the Ethics of Trust
छद्मपाखंडशौर्येर्ष्याः क्रूराः कूटाश्च पापिनः । पक्षिणो मोहवृक्षस्य मायाशाखा समाश्रिताः
chadmapākhaṃḍaśauryerṣyāḥ krūrāḥ kūṭāśca pāpinaḥ | pakṣiṇo mohavṛkṣasya māyāśākhā samāśritāḥ
مکار، پाखنڈ، جھوٹے شجاعت کے گھمنڈ اور حسد میں مبتلا—یہ لوگ سنگ دل، فریب کار اور گناہگار ہیں۔ موہ کے درخت کے پرندوں کی طرح وہ مایا کی شاخوں میں پناہ لیتے ہیں۔
Unspecified (contextual narrator within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa; often framed as Pulastya speaking to Bhīṣma in this khanda)
Concept: Adharmic people—hypocritical, heretical, boastful, jealous, cruel—cling to māyā like birds nesting in the tree of delusion.
Application: Avoid communities that normalize cruelty and hypocrisy; choose teachers and groups by humility, compassion, and truthfulness; practice self-checks for īrṣyā and performative ‘heroism’.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A vast, shadowy tree of moha dominates the scene; its māyā-branches twist like smoke. Dark birds with human-like faces—symbols of hypocrisy, jealousy, and cruelty—perch and squabble, while below a small circle of devotees stands protected by a lamp of śraddhā, refusing the tree’s shade.","primary_figures":["Dark ‘birds’ representing pāṣaṇḍa traits","Vaishnava devotees (small group)","Personified Māyā (as a veiling branch-canopy)"],"setting":"Allegorical wilderness bordering a pilgrimage road; a boundary line of light separates sat-saṅga from the moha-tree’s shadow.","lighting_mood":"stormy twilight with a single steady lamp-flame","color_palette":["storm gray","ink black","blood maroon","lamp gold","deep teal"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic moha-vṛkṣa with gold-leaf accents on twisting māyā branches; ominous birds with stylized human expressions (dambha, īrṣyā) perched in clusters; at the base, a small group of Vaishnava devotees with tilaka around a bright gold-leaf lamp of śraddhā; rich reds/greens, ornate borders, high-relief gold detailing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: twilight allegory with delicate yet tense brushwork—dark birds quarrel on a gnarled tree; a thin ribbon of light marks the safe path where devotees walk with prayer beads; distant hills and a narrow road suggest moral choice; cool palette with sharp contrasts.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined tree canopy filling the frame; stylized birds with expressive eyes embodying cruelty and envy; devotees rendered in frontal calm with a central lamp; natural pigments, temple-wall symmetry, decorative borders emphasizing moral polarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central dark tree framed by intricate floral borders; peacocks and cows kept to the luminous side with devotees, while the shadow side hosts stylized black birds; deep blues and gold, patterned textiles, symbolic separation of śraddhā and māyā."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["mridanga strokes","sharp bell hits","wind gusts","brief conch blast at end"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कूटाश्च = कूटाः + च।
FAQs
It portrays delusion (moha) as a whole ecosystem: māyā forms the enticing branches where harmful tendencies—hypocrisy, envy, deceit—perch and thrive, keeping a person bound to भ्रम (error) rather than dharma.
It condemns pākhaṇḍa as ‘chadma’—a disguised, performative posture—linked with cruelty and deceit, implying that outward religiosity without inner integrity becomes a vehicle of māyā.
It warns that envy, deceit, and performative virtue are self-entangling: they make one ‘rest’ on illusion. The implied remedy is sincerity (ārjava), compassion, and truthfulness aligned with dharma.