Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 22
The Tale of Sukalā: Testing Pativratā Fidelity and the Body-as-House Teaching
नैव कामान्न संत्रासान्न वा लोभान्न कारणात् । न वै मोहान्न वै क्रोधात्सत्यं सत्यं रतिप्रिय
naiva kāmānna saṃtrāsānna vā lobhānna kāraṇāt | na vai mohānna vai krodhātsatyaṃ satyaṃ ratipriya
نہ خواہش سے، نہ خوف سے، نہ لالچ سے، نہ کسی پوشیدہ غرض سے؛ نہ فریبِ وہم سے، نہ غضب سے—یہی سچ ہے، سچ ہے، اے رتی کے محبوب۔
Unspecified (verse excerpt lacks surrounding dialogue context)
Concept: Speak and act from truth, not from desire, fear, greed, delusion, or anger.
Application: Before making a claim or decision, audit motives: kāma, bhaya, lobha, moha, krodha; choose the option that remains valid without these pressures.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A calm, centered figure—either the virtuous woman or a narrator-voice embodied—stands with palms joined, speaking a vow of truth untouched by desire or fear. Behind her, shadowy personifications of Kāma, Lobha, Moha, and Krodha recede like dissipating smoke, unable to grasp her steady light.","primary_figures":["Pativratā (virtuous woman)","Personifications of Kāma, Lobha, Moha, Krodha (as fading shadows)"],"setting":"A simple courtyard with a tulsi-less but dharmic domestic altar, earthen lamp, and a quiet sky; minimalism emphasizing inner purity.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["warm ochre","lamp-flame gold","smoke gray","ivory","deep maroon"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a serene pativratā with gold halo, hands in añjali, standing near a small altar lamp; gold-leaf emphasis on halo and ornaments, rich maroon sari borders, shadow-figures of vices rendered as subdued dark forms at the edges, ornate floral frame.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate domestic scene with a woman speaking a vow; soft pastel courtyard, fine brushwork on textiles, vices as faint translucent silhouettes dissolving into the background, lyrical stillness and moral clarity.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: frontal calm figure with expressive eyes, bold outlines; lamp and altar motifs, vices as stylized dark-green/red demonic masks fading outward; flat pigments and rhythmic patterning.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central figure framed by lotus and vine borders; symbolic motifs—five small medallions labeled (iconically) kāma/bhaya/lobha/moha/krodha—shown as withering flowers; deep blue ground with gold and ivory detailing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft temple bell","gentle silence","single tanpura drone"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नैव = न + एव; कामान्न = कामात् + न; संत्रासान्न = संत्रासात् + न; लोभान्न = लोभात् + न; मोहान्न = मोहात् + न; क्रोधात्सत्यं = क्रोधात् + सत्यम्.
FAQs
It defines truthful speech as something that should not arise from selfish impulses—desire, fear, greed, delusion, or anger—but from sincerity and integrity.
The repetition is an emphatic assurance: the speaker is strongly affirming the statement’s reliability and moral weight.
“Ratipriya” is a vocative term meaning “beloved of delight/pleasure.” Without the surrounding verses, the exact addressee cannot be identified confidently from this excerpt alone.