Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 62
Pitṛmātṛtīrtha Greatness & the Discourse on Embodiment: Karma, Birth, Impurity, and Dispassion
प्रस्वेदमशुचिं ताभिरंतरस्थं च तेन हि । द्वात्रिंशद्दशनाः प्रोक्ता विंशतिश्च नखाः स्मृताः
prasvedamaśuciṃ tābhiraṃtarasthaṃ ca tena hi | dvātriṃśaddaśanāḥ proktā viṃśatiśca nakhāḥ smṛtāḥ
پسینہ ناپاک ہے، اور اسی سبب سے اندر کی چیزیں بھی ناپاک ہیں۔ لہٰذا کہا گیا ہے کہ دانت بتیس ہیں، اور ناخن بیس یاد کیے گئے ہیں۔
Unspecified (narrative/teaching voice within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa Adhyaya 66)
Concept: Recognize bodily impurity and impermanence; let this knowledge support purity of conduct and a turn toward spiritual practice.
Application: Maintain cleanliness and moderation, but avoid obsession with bodily perfection; invest effort in inner purity—truthfulness, compassion, and daily worship.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A quiet ashram scene at dusk: a sage enumerates bodily facts on a palm-leaf manuscript while a disciple listens, the human form shown faintly as a silhouette with highlighted teeth and nails like small ivory markers. Wisps of vapor symbolize sweat rising and dissolving, while a small altar lamp before a Viṣṇu image suggests the higher purity beyond the body.","primary_figures":["Sage-teacher","Disciple-listener","Viṣṇu (small altar icon)"],"setting":"Ashram interior with palm-leaf manuscripts, water pot, and a simple Viṣṇu shrine; symbolic silhouette diagram hovering near the teaching space.","lighting_mood":"lamp-lit, contemplative dusk","color_palette":["warm amber","coconut brown","ivory","deep blue","soft saffron"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: sage and disciple seated near a small Viṣṇu altar with gold leaf halo; a subtle silhouette diagram showing teeth and nails as ivory accents; rich maroon-green borders, embossed gold on the lamp flame and divine icon, devotional calm with didactic clarity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate dusk teaching scene with delicate lines; disciple attentive, sage holding palm-leaf; faint silhouette with tiny ivory teeth/nail markers; cool blue dusk wash, warm lamp glow, refined facial expressions and gentle naturalism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized sage-disciple composition with bold outlines; lamp-lit shrine of Viṣṇu; symbolic sweat as curling motifs; teeth and nails indicated with clear ivory shapes; red-yellow-green palette with deep blue background, temple-wall symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional teaching vignette framed by lotus and floral borders; central lamp before Viṣṇu icon; decorative silhouette motif with ivory teeth/nails; deep blue ground with gold and saffron highlights, intricate Nathdwara ornamentation emphasizing inner purity through devotion."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["evening temple bell","crickets","soft conch (closing)","water pot pour (faint)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रस्वेदमशुचिं→प्रस्वेदम् अशुचिम्; ताभिरंतरस्थं→ताभिः अन्तरस्थम्; द्वात्रिंशद्दशनाः→द्वात्रिंशत् दशनाः (त् + द); विंशतिश्च→विंशतिः च।
FAQs
It reflects a dharma-text notion of bodily substances (like sweat and internal excretions) as aśuci (ritually impure), often used to frame rules of cleanliness and conduct.
The verse includes a traditional anatomical enumeration: 32 teeth and 20 nails (fingers and toes), likely supporting a broader discussion about the body’s material nature and ritual purity.
Indirectly: it encourages awareness of bodily impurity and the need for cleanliness and discipline, commonly connected with ethical self-restraint and ritual propriety in dharma traditions.