Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 53
Yayāti’s Summons to Heaven and the Teaching on Old Age, the Five-Element Body, and Self–Body Discernment
ययातिरुवाच । येन कायेन सिध्येत सुकृतं दुष्कृतं भुवि । मातले तत्कथं त्यक्त्वा गच्छेल्लोकमुपार्जितम्
yayātiruvāca | yena kāyena sidhyeta sukṛtaṃ duṣkṛtaṃ bhuvi | mātale tatkathaṃ tyaktvā gacchellokamupārjitam
یَیاتی نے کہا: “جس جسم کے ذریعے زمین پر نیکی اور بدی کے اعمال پورے ہوتے ہیں، اے ماتلی! اسی جسم کو چھوڑ کر انسان اپنے کمائے ہوئے لوک میں کیسے جا سکتا ہے؟”
King Yayāti
Concept: Karma is performed through the gross body, yet the experiencer of results is not limited to that gross body; the mechanism of transition after death requires a subtler vehicle.
Application: Treat the body as an instrument for dharma and bhakti rather than identity; cultivate sattva through vrata, dāna, and nāma-smaraṇa so the post-mortem trajectory is elevated.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"King Yayāti, crowned yet contemplative, turns toward Mātali with palms half-raised in inquiry, as if weighing the paradox of karma performed by the body and the soul’s departure beyond it. The air is still, with a faint suggestion of two roads—one rising into luminous heavens, one descending into shadow—hinting at earned destinations.","primary_figures":["King Yayāti","Mātali (Indra’s charioteer)"],"setting":"A royal terrace or forest-edge pavilion where a chariot waits nearby; symbolic twin paths in the background (upward light, downward dusk).","lighting_mood":"twilight contemplative glow","color_palette":["deep indigo","burnished gold","ash grey","lotus pink","smoky violet"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: King Yayāti in jeweled crown and silk dhoti questions Mātali beside Indra’s ornate chariot; gold leaf halos, embossed arch motifs, rich crimson and emerald textiles, gem-studded ornaments; in the background, two stylized paths—one to a golden svarga, one to a dark nether—rendered with symbolic clarity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: A lyrical terrace scene with Yayāti seated in thoughtful posture, Mātali standing gently attentive; delicate linework, cool dusk sky, distant hills; two faint winding paths painted like poetic metaphors, refined faces and soft gradients.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Bold outlined figures of Yayāti and Mātali with expressive eyes; temple-wall aesthetic; stylized chariot wheel motifs; background split into luminous upper band and darker lower band to suggest ūrdhva/adhaḥ gati; natural pigment reds, yellows, greens with black contours.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Symbolic composition with lotus borders and celestial motifs; Yayāti and Mātali near a decorative chariot; upper register filled with golden cloud patterns, lower register with deep blue floral shadows; intricate vine work and lotus medallions framing the philosophical dialogue."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","distant conch shell","evening wind","brief silence between questions"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: गच्छेल्लोकम् = गच्छेत् + लोकम् (त् + ल → ल्ल).
FAQs
He questions how the fruits of karma—earned through actions done in a physical body on earth—can be experienced in another realm if that same body is abandoned at death.
Mātali is traditionally known as Indra’s charioteer and a guide in celestial matters; addressing him frames the discussion as an inquiry into how heavenly or otherworldly destinations are attained.
It underscores personal responsibility: merit and demerit are “accomplished” through embodied actions on earth, so one should act carefully, knowing deeds shape one’s attained state.