Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 17
Exposition of Sin and Merit
Sumanas Episode: Yama’s Realm and Rebirths
व्याघ्रो भवति दुष्टात्मा रासभीं याति वै पुनः । मार्जार शूकरीं योनिं सर्पयोनिं तथैव च
vyāghro bhavati duṣṭātmā rāsabhīṃ yāti vai punaḥ | mārjāra śūkarīṃ yoniṃ sarpayoniṃ tathaiva ca
بدروح اور بدکردار شخص شیرِ جنگل (ببر) بن جاتا ہے؛ پھر وہ گدھی کے رحم میں جاتا ہے۔ وہ بلی، سورنی اور اسی طرح سانپ کی یونی میں بھی جنم لیتا ہے۔
Unspecified narrator (context-dependent within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa Adhyaya 16)
Concept: Adharma and cruelty/impurity of mind lead to repeated tiryak (animal) births; moral quality shapes embodiment.
Application: Treat actions and intentions as seed; avoid violence, deceit, intoxication, and exploitation; adopt daily sāttvika disciplines (truthfulness, compassion, japa, charity).
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A shadowed karmic vision unfolds: a human silhouette dissolves into successive animal forms—tiger, donkey, cat, sow, serpent—each emerging from a wheel-like mandala of saṁsāra. Above, an unseen divine law is suggested by a faint Sudarśana-chakra motif, implying cosmic order rather than random punishment.","primary_figures":["symbolic human soul (jīva)","tiger","donkey","cat","sow","serpent","subtle Sudarśana-chakra motif"],"setting":"A liminal, otherworldly landscape—misty cremation-ground edge blending into a cosmic void with a faint dharma-scale and saṁsāra wheel.","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["indigo black","ash gray","rust red","saffron ochre","pale silver"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a central saṁsāra-chakra medallion with gold leaf haloing the wheel; within concentric rings, the jīva transitions into tiger, donkey, cat, sow, and serpent; rich maroon and emerald borders, gem-studded ornaments on the chakra rim, stylized flames of karma around the perimeter, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate brushwork showing a misty nocturnal grove; a translucent human figure morphs into a tiger then donkey etc. in a flowing sequence; cool blues and grays, lyrical naturalism, refined faces on animals, distant Himalayan silhouettes and a thin crescent moon, subtle moral allegory.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and flat natural pigments; a circular saṁsāra wheel with five animal panels; the jīva as a small luminous figure moving panel to panel; red/yellow/green palette with dramatic eyes on the tiger and serpent, temple-wall aesthetic with ornamental creepers.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a large lotus-and-vine border framing a central wheel of births; deep blue ground with gold highlights; animals arranged like motifs around a mandala; peacocks in the border as witnesses; intricate floral filigree, Nathdwara-inspired ornamentation, moral tableau rather than pastoral play."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple drum","distant conch shell","wind through dry leaves","brief bell strikes","heavy silence between pādas"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तथैव = तथा + एव (सन्धि). ‘मार्जार शूकरीं योनिम्’ पाठे ‘मार्जार-शूकरीं योनिम्’ इति समास/सम्बन्धः अभिप्रेतः; पदच्छेदे ‘मार्जार’ उत्तरपद-सम्बन्धार्थं पूर्वपदवत् गृहीतम्.
FAQs
It teaches that immoral or cruel conduct (duṣṭatva) leads to painful karmic consequences, described as rebirth into lower or suffering-prone animal forms.
It presents a traditional Purāṇic moral framework where certain dispositions lead to degrading rebirths; many commentators treat such lists as both ethical warnings and illustrative depictions of karmic decline.
Cultivate purity of intention and compassionate conduct; the verse warns that a corrupted inner nature can mature into suffering and loss of human opportunity.