Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 10
The Tale of Sukalā: Illusion, Desire, and the Testing of a Chaste Wife
within the Vena Cycle
रूपशृंगारसौभाग्यं सुखं संपच्च नान्यथा । नारीणां हि महाभागो भर्ता शास्त्रेषु गीयते
rūpaśṛṃgārasaubhāgyaṃ sukhaṃ saṃpacca nānyathā | nārīṇāṃ hi mahābhāgo bhartā śāstreṣu gīyate
حُسن، آرائش، نیک بختی، راحت اور دولت—یہی سب کچھ عورتوں کا کہا گیا ہے؛ کیونکہ شاستروں میں بھرتا کو عورتوں کی عظیم سعادت قرار دے کر سراہا گیا ہے۔
Unspecified (narratorial/scriptural statement within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: The text asserts a normative śāstric view: a husband is portrayed as a woman’s chief fortune and the locus of her worldly well-being.
Application: Read critically yet contextually: cultivate mutual respect and responsibility in relationships; do not reduce spiritual worth to marital status—seek inner refuge in dharma and devotion.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A composed, teacher-like figure recites from palm-leaf manuscripts while women listen in a courtyard, their faces reflecting mixed acceptance and unease. Behind them, a small shrine to Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa suggests a higher spiritual horizon beyond social roles.","primary_figures":["narrator/teacher figure","listening women","Lakshmi-Narayana icon (background)"],"setting":"courtyard discourse with palm-leaf manuscripts and a small shrine niche","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["saffron","palm-leaf tan","emerald green","vermillion","soft gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a seated teacher holding palm-leaf manuscripts, women devotees listening; a Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa shrine behind with gold leaf halo work, rich reds/greens, ornate pillars, gem-like ornamentation, traditional iconography emphasizing śāstric authority.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined satsang scene in a palace-courtyard, delicate brushwork, pastel dawn sky, women in patterned odhnis, a small shrine alcove, lyrical trees, subtle emotional nuance on faces.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: didactic tableau with bold outlines; teacher and listeners arranged symmetrically, manuscript emphasized; warm reds/yellows/greens, stylized shrine with Vaishnava symbols, temple-wall composition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: satsang vignette framed by lotus creepers; central shrine of Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa with deep blue and gold; intricate floral borders, peacocks at corners, devotional ambience overriding social didacticism."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["tanpura drone","soft mridangam pulse","page/palm-leaf rustle","courtyard birds","temple bell at cadence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: संपच्च → सम्पत् + च; नान्यथा → न + अन्यथा; रूपशृङ्गारसौभाग्यम् = द्वन्द्व-समास (त्रिपद).
FAQs
It presents a traditional dharma-śāstra style view that a woman's auspicious fortune (saubhāgya) and well-being are closely associated with her husband within the household (gṛhastha) framework.
Saubhāgya commonly denotes auspicious marital fortune—especially the culturally ideal of a living, supportive husband—along with the auspiciousness and social stability associated with married life.
It primarily expresses a social-ethical norm connected to gṛhastha-dharma and gendered dharma discourse, rather than a direct instruction on bhakti or ritual practice.