Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 12
Entering Kāmodā and the Doctrine of Dreams, Sleep, and the Self
सत्स्वप्नो मानवानां हि पुण्यस्य फलदायकः । अन्यदेवं प्रवक्ष्यामि स्वप्नस्य कारणं शुभे
satsvapno mānavānāṃ hi puṇyasya phaladāyakaḥ | anyadevaṃ pravakṣyāmi svapnasya kāraṇaṃ śubhe
انسانوں کے لیے سچا اور مبارک خواب یقیناً پُنّیہ کا پھل عطا کرتا ہے۔ اب، اے نیک بخت، میں خواب کے سبب کو ایک اور طریقے سے بیان کرتا ہوں۔
Unspecified narrator/teacher figure addressing a woman (‘śubhe’).
Concept: Auspicious dreams can be read as indicators of accrued puṇya and as prompts toward dhārmic action.
Application: Treat uplifting dreams as reminders to intensify sādhana—japa, charity, temple visit, or Ekādaśī discipline—rather than as mere entertainment.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A serene teacher-sage sits beside a lamp-lit manuscript, addressing a veiled woman seated respectfully. Above them, a translucent dream-cloud forms auspicious symbols—lotus, conch, and a gentle radiance—suggesting puṇya ripening into guidance.","primary_figures":["teacher-sage (ācārya)","female interlocutor (śubhe)","symbolic Vishnu-emblems (śaṅkha, cakra, padma) in the dream-cloud"],"setting":"Quiet hermitage study or temple veranda with palm-leaf manuscripts, tulasī pot in the background, and a low oil lamp.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["warm amber","lotus pink","sandalwood beige","deep indigo","gold leaf"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a seated guru explaining svapna-phala to a modestly adorned woman, ornate arch backdrop, gold leaf halo-like radiance around the dream-cloud containing conch and lotus motifs, rich reds/greens, gem-studded ornaments on symbolic emblems, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate veranda scene with delicate linework, the teacher gesturing toward a pale dream-cloud above, cool indigo night with soft lamp glow, refined faces, subtle floral borders, distant hills and a small tulasī planter for Vaishnava ambience.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and stylized eyes, the guru and woman in profile, a large luminous dream-aura with lotus and conch, flat temple-wall composition, natural pigment reds/yellows/greens, rhythmic ornamentation on textiles.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central dream-cloud shaped like a lotus mandala with Vishnu symbols, ornate floral borders, peacocks near a tulasī pot, deep blue ground with gold highlights, devotional atmosphere suggesting auspiciousness and merit."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","low drone (tanpura)","night insects","gentle silence between pādas"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सत्स्वप्नो = सत्-स्वप्नः (कर्मधारय). अन्यदेवं = अन्यत् + एवम्.
FAQs
It states that an auspicious/true dream can become a giver of results connected with puṇya (merit), implying dreams may reflect or mature karmic outcomes.
‘Śubhe’ is a vocative address meaning “O auspicious one,” typically directed to a female listener (often a goddess or a respectful female interlocutor), though this single verse does not name her.
The verse links inner experience (dreams) with moral causality (puṇya and its fruits), encouraging a dhārmic life whose merit may manifest as auspicious signs and outcomes.