Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 19
The Tale of Sukalā: Illusion, Desire, and the Testing of a Chaste Wife
within the Vena Cycle
गीयमानं सुमधुरैर्नादैर्मधुकरैरपि । कूजद्भिः पक्षिभिः पुण्यैः पुण्यध्वनिसमाकुलम्
gīyamānaṃ sumadhurairnādairmadhukarairapi | kūjadbhiḥ pakṣibhiḥ puṇyaiḥ puṇyadhvanisamākulam
وہ جنگل نہایت شیریں آوازوں سے گونج رہا تھا، گویا شہد کی مکھیوں کے نغمے بھی اس میں شامل ہوں؛ اور ہر طرف چہچہاتے مقدس پرندوں کی مبارک گونج سے بھرپور تھا۔
Unspecified (narrative description within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: Auspicious sound (puṇya-dhvani) refines the mind; what we repeatedly hear becomes our inner climate.
Application: Curate daily ‘sound-satsaṅga’: begin with a short stotra, kīrtana, or Viṣṇu-sahasranāma; reduce harsh speech and noisy distraction to keep the mind ‘puṇya-dhvani’-filled.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: forest
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The grove seems to sing: bees hover over blossoms like tiny musicians, their hum blending with the chirping of bright-feathered birds. The air itself looks textured with sound—ripples of sweetness moving through flowering branches, as if the forest were a living hymn.","primary_figures":["Bees (madhukara)","auspicious birds","the entering travelers (implied)"],"setting":"Flower-laden woodland with close-up clusters of blossoms, swarming bees, and birds perched on vine-wrapped boughs; a sense of ‘sound made visible’.","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["honey gold","leaf green","ivory blossom","turquoise","soft maroon"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a richly ornamented flowering grove where bees are depicted as golden motifs around blossoms, birds arranged in rhythmic patterns; embossed gold leaf highlights on petals and wings, deep red-green background, decorative borders suggesting sacred ‘puṇya-dhvani’ as visual rhythm.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate naturalistic close-ups of bees over flowers and birds in delicate branches; subtle gradients, cool greens and warm honey tones, fine detailing of wings and petals, lyrical composition that suggests music through repeated motifs.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized birds and bees in bold outlines across a flowering canopy; rhythmic repetition like a mural frieze, warm earthy pigments, temple-wall symmetry conveying auspicious vibration.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: patterned floral field with bees as gold dots and birds as repeating motifs; ornate borders of creepers and lotuses, deep blue ground with gold and pink highlights, devotional textile aesthetic where nature’s sound becomes ornament."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["bee hum","birdsong chorus","soft wind","distant conch shell","temple courtyard ambience"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सुमधुरैर्नादैः = सु-मधुरैः + नादैः; नादैर्मधुकरैरपि = नादैः + मधुकरैः + अपि; पुण्यध्वनिसमाकुलम् = पुण्य-ध्वनि-समाकुलम्.
FAQs
It portrays a tīrtha-like environment as naturally sanctified: the sweetness of bees’ humming and birds’ calls becomes “puṇya-dhvani,” an auspicious soundscape indicating holiness and spiritual uplift.
By describing nature itself as “singing” (gīyamānam), the verse frames the world as participating in praise, a common devotional motif where the sacred realm is recognized through harmony, sweetness, and auspicious resonance.
It encourages reverence for sacred environments and living beings: a holy place is depicted as vibrant with life, suggesting that protecting and honoring nature supports spiritual culture and purity of mind.