Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 60
The Tale of Sukalā: Testing Pativratā Fidelity and the Body-as-House Teaching
स्थानभ्रष्टाः प्रजायंते मूलाग्रे प्रचलंति ते । न सहेल्लेपनाभारमाधारेण प्रतिष्ठति
sthānabhraṣṭāḥ prajāyaṃte mūlāgre pracalaṃti te | na sahellepanābhāramādhāreṇa pratiṣṭhati
جو اپنے مناسب مقام سے گِر جاتے ہیں وہ پست حالت میں پیدا ہوتے ہیں؛ جڑ کی نوک ہی پر لرزتے رہتے ہیں۔ چونکہ سہارے کی بنیاد پر مضبوطی سے قائم نہیں، اس لیے پلستر کا بوجھ بھی نہیں اٹھا سکتے۔
Unspecified (context-dependent within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa 53; often narrated in the Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue)
Concept: Without proper foundation (adhāra/āśraya), beings become unstable and cannot sustain even small burdens; spiritual life likewise requires firm establishment in dharma and devotion.
Application: Build daily practice on a stable base—regular japa, sāttvika conduct, and association with devotees—rather than sporadic ‘cosmetic’ spirituality; examine where life is ‘unrooted’ and re-establish priorities.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cracked, aging house stands on a crumbling foundation, its plaster flaking as the base trembles like a loosened root. In the foreground, a small sapling with exposed roots quivers in dry soil, while a distant, radiant Viṣṇu-temple on firm stone symbolizes true refuge and stability.","primary_figures":["Allegorical householder (gṛhasvāmin)","Personified Dharma (optional)","Viṣṇu as distant refuge (optional, symbolic)"],"setting":"Village edge with an old mud-plastered house, exposed foundation stones, and a far-off temple on a raised plinth; scattered tools, fallen plaster, and dust in the air.","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["dusty ochre","ash gray","sandalwood beige","deep indigo","golden amber"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: an allegorical scene of a crumbling house with fractured foundation in the foreground, the householder looking concerned, and a distant Viṣṇu shrine on a firm pedestal; gold leaf embellishment on the temple halo and architectural borders, rich reds and greens in garments, gem-studded ornaments for the symbolic Dharma figure, traditional South Indian iconographic framing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a lyrical village landscape with a leaning, plaster-shedding house and a trembling sapling with exposed roots; delicate brushwork, cool earthy palette, refined faces, distant hill-temple of Viṣṇu glowing softly, fine linework showing cracks and falling plaster.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines of a collapsing house and a quivering rooted plant, stylized clouds of dust, a small luminous Viṣṇu shrine as the stable āśraya; natural pigments with dominant ochres, reds, greens, and a controlled gold-yellow radiance around the shrine, characteristic large eyes for personified Dharma.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic composition where the unstable ‘house’ motif appears at the bottom border with cracked earth, while the central upper field shows a lotus-framed Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa as the true support; intricate floral borders, lotus motifs, deep blues and gold, peacocks perched near the stable temple plinth, decorative narrative panels."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","dry wind","distant conch shell","silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: लेपनाभारम् + आधारेण → लेपनाभारमाधारेण. ‘सहेल्’ appears as a textual/orthographic variant; expected sense is ‘(it) does not bear/endure’.
FAQs
It compares a person (or principle) that has lost its proper foundation to a plant/root that trembles and cannot bear added weight—teaching that stability depends on being rightly established on a support.
The verse suggests that when one is “displaced” from dharma or one’s rightful duty, one becomes unstable and unable to sustain responsibilities; firm adherence to a proper आधार (support) is necessary for steadiness.
No. In this shloka, no named deity, person, or sacred place is explicitly mentioned; it functions as a general teaching through imagery.