Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 59
Yayāti’s Summons to Heaven and the Teaching on Old Age, the Five-Element Body, and Self–Body Discernment
सत्यधर्मादिकं कर्म येन कायेन मानवः । समर्जयति वै मर्त्यस्तं कस्माद्विप्रसर्जयेत्
satyadharmādikaṃ karma yena kāyena mānavaḥ | samarjayati vai martyastaṃ kasmādviprasarjayet
جس بدن کے ذریعے انسان سچائی اور دھرم جیسے اعمال کر کے پُنّیہ کماتا ہے، وہ فانی اسی بدن کو کیوں ترک کرے؟
Unknown (context not provided; likely within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma discourse typical of the Bhūmi-khaṇḍa)
Concept: The body is an instrument for dharmic action; one should not despise or prematurely abandon it, since it enables satya and dharma that generate puṇya.
Application: Care for health and discipline the senses so the body can serve truthfulness, charity, worship, and vows; avoid nihilistic self-harm or despair.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A teacher addresses a thoughtful listener, pointing to the human body as a sacred instrument: hands offering water, lips speaking truth, feet walking toward a temple. The composition contrasts a shadowy impulse to renounce life with a luminous path of embodied dharma.","primary_figures":["teacher/narrator figure","human devotee"],"setting":"Hermitage courtyard with a small Viṣṇu shrine in the background; ritual implements (kamaṇḍalu, tulasi pot, dāna vessel) arranged neatly","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["warm gold","earth brown","saffron","peacock blue","ivory"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central devotee with hands in añjali before a small Viṣṇu shrine, gold leaf highlighting the shrine arch and halo; the teacher gestures toward the devotee’s body (hands, speech, posture) as instruments of satya-dharma; rich reds/greens, ornate borders, jewel-like detailing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: serene courtyard scene with delicate lines; the devotee shown in three small vignettes within one frame—speaking truth, giving alms, and performing pūjā—set against soft hills and trees; cool yet luminous palette and refined expressions.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines; the body depicted symbolically with ritual gestures; a stylized Viṣṇu emblem (śaṅkha-cakra) behind; strong red/yellow/green with rhythmic decorative motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional tableau with lotus borders; the devotee’s embodied acts arranged around a central lamp and a small Viṣṇu icon; deep blues and gold, intricate floral patterns suggesting vrata discipline."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft conch in distance","temple lamp crackle","gentle drone (tanpura)","morning birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सत्यधर्मादिकम् → सत्यधर्म + आदिकम्; मर्त्यस्तम् → मर्त्यः + तम् (विसर्ग-लोप); अन्यत्र स्पष्टपदानि।
FAQs
It teaches that the human body is the practical instrument for living dharma—truthfulness, righteousness, and other virtues—so abandoning it is portrayed as irrational when it enables merit-bearing action.
No. The verse argues for valuing embodied life as the means to practice virtue and accumulate merit, which contrasts with ideologies of needless self-destruction or contempt for the body.
It frames everyday ethical discipline—speaking truth, acting righteously, doing good deeds—as spiritually meaningful precisely because they are performed through embodied effort.