Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 15
Dialogue of Gobhila and Padmāvatī: Daitya Obstruction vs. the Power of Pativratā Dharma
गोभिल उवाच । धर्ममेव प्रवक्ष्यामि भवती यदि मन्यते । अग्निचिद्ब्राह्मणस्यापि श्रूयतां नृपनंदिनी
gobhila uvāca | dharmameva pravakṣyāmi bhavatī yadi manyate | agnicidbrāhmaṇasyāpi śrūyatāṃ nṛpanaṃdinī
گوبھل نے کہا: اگر تم مناسب سمجھو تو میں یقیناً دھرم بیان کروں گا۔ اے بادشاہ کی بیٹی، اس برہمن کا حال بھی سنو جس نے اگنی چَیَن (آگ کے ویدی) کا یَجْن کیا تھا۔
Gobhila
Concept: Dharma is to be articulated and heard (śravaṇa) through exemplars; Vedic ritual discipline is presented as a model of steadiness and correctness.
Application: Seek counsel from learned teachers; cultivate the habit of listening before acting, and learn dharma through stories of exemplars.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: forest
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Sage Gobhila sits calmly on a kusa-grass seat, one hand raised in teaching, the other holding a palm-leaf manuscript. Before him, a royal maiden listens with folded hands, while in the background a meticulously arranged fire-altar (agniciti) rises like a sacred geometry of bricks, smoke curling upward in disciplined spirals.","primary_figures":["Gobhila (sage)","Nṛpa-nandinī (daughter of the king)","Agnicayana brāhmaṇa (as a background vignette)"],"setting":"Hermitage classroom near a Vedic altar ground, with brick altar, ladles, and ritual vessels arranged in order.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["saffron","brick red","smoke white","peacock blue","antique gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Gobhila teaching the royal maiden, gold-leaf halo around the sage, richly patterned textiles, gem-studded ornaments on the princess, a stylized agniciti altar with glowing embers, ornate borders and traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate teaching scene in a quiet ashram, delicate brushwork on faces and hands, cool morning light, detailed brick altar and ritual implements, Himalayan-like gentle hills in distance, refined naturalism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, Gobhila with characteristic large eyes and composed posture, princess in respectful listening pose, warm red/yellow/green pigments, decorative altar geometry behind, temple-wall aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: didactic scene framed by floral borders and lotus motifs, central fire-altar as sacred emblem, deep blue background with gold highlights, intricate textile patterning, serene devotional ambience."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["crackling fire","gentle bell","tanpura drone","morning birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: धर्मम्+एव→धर्ममेव; अग्निचित्+ब्राह्मणस्य+अपि→अग्निचिद्ब्राह्मणस्यापि; नृप+नन्दिनी→नृपनन्दिनी (सम्बोधन: नृपनन्दिनि)
FAQs
The speaker is Gobhila, addressing a woman respectfully as “nṛpa-nandinī,” meaning “daughter of the king.”
It introduces a dharma-teaching discourse and invites the listener to hear an account connected with an “agnicid brāhmaṇa,” a brāhmaṇa associated with the Agnicayana fire-altar rite.
The verse frames the upcoming narration as an exposition of dharma, implying moral instruction grounded in traditional religious duty and exemplary conduct.