Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 37
Narrative of Sumanā: The Quest for a Worthy Son and the Karmic Roots of Poverty
कृतं महार्घमेवात्र अन्नं ब्राह्मणसत्तम । निर्दयेन त्वया दानं न दत्तं तु कदाचन
kṛtaṃ mahārghamevātra annaṃ brāhmaṇasattama | nirdayena tvayā dānaṃ na dattaṃ tu kadācana
یہاں واقعی نہایت قیمتی کھانا تیار کیا گیا تھا، اے برہمنوں میں افضل! مگر تم بے رحمی سے کبھی بھی دان نہ دیتے رہے۔
Unspecified (contextual speaker not provided in the input excerpt)
Concept: Preparing abundance without sharing is cruelty; anna becomes sanctified only through offering—first to God, then to guests and the needy.
Application: Before eating, offer food with prayer; feed at least one being daily (guest, poor, animal); cultivate empathy by regular service (seva).
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A lavish meal—silver platters, fragrant rice, sweets, and ghee—sits untouched while hungry petitioners stand at the threshold. The brāhmaṇa turns away with a hard expression, and the reproaching figure points to the food as if it were evidence in a moral court.","primary_figures":["a brāhmaṇa householder","hungry supplicants/guests","a reproaching sage or inner conscience figure"],"setting":"household dining hall with low wooden seats, brass lamps, and a doorway where the needy wait","lighting_mood":"lamp-lit interior with sharp chiaroscuro emphasizing ethical contrast","color_palette":["lamp gold","saffron rice yellow","deep maroon","smoky black","ivory white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: opulent feast scene with gold leaf on platters and lamps; the brāhmaṇa depicted with rigid posture; supplicants at the doorway; a sage pointing in admonition; rich reds/greens, ornate borders, gem-like highlights on vessels.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate interior with delicate detailing of food textures; expressive faces—pleading guests and a stern reproacher; soft gradients, cool shadows, refined linework, moral drama conveyed through gesture.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and stylized eyes; rhythmic arrangement of dishes; strong contrast between the bright food and darkened doorway; symbolic emphasis on the pointing hand of dharma.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: decorative lotus borders framing a central ‘prasāda withheld’ tableau; cows and peacocks in margins as dharmic witnesses; deep blues and gold, with a subtle Viṣṇu emblem above the feast to imply it should have been offered."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["temple bell strike","doorway footsteps","low murmurs of hunger","sudden silence after rebuke"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: महार्घमेवात्र = महार्घम् + एव + अत्र; ब्राह्मणसत्तम = ब्राह्मण + सत्तम (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष).
FAQs
It criticizes hoarding and loveless consumption: even if one prepares lavish food, failing to give dāna (charity) is portrayed as cruelty and a moral fault.
The verse contrasts abundant food with the absence of giving, implying that food gains religious and ethical value when shared—especially as alms or hospitality.
Not directly; it condemns the absence of compassion and generosity. The fault is not that expensive food exists, but that no charitable giving accompanies it.