Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 63
Pitṛmātṛtīrtha Greatness & the Discourse on Embodiment: Karma, Birth, Impurity, and Dispassion
पित्तस्य कुडवं ज्ञेयं कफस्यार्धाढकं तथा । वसायाश्च पलाः पंच तदर्धं फलकस्य च
pittasya kuḍavaṃ jñeyaṃ kaphasyārdhāḍhakaṃ tathā | vasāyāśca palāḥ paṃca tadardhaṃ phalakasya ca
جان لو کہ صفرا (پِتّ) کی مقدار ایک کُڈَو ہے؛ بلغم (کَف) کی آدھا آڈھک۔ چربی (وسا) پانچ پل ہے، اور فَلَکَ کی مقدار اس کا آدھا ہے۔
Unspecified (context not provided; verse appears as a technical/medical-metrological statement within the narrative)
Concept: The body’s constituents are quantifiable and thus impermanent; spiritual discernment grows when one sees the body as an object of knowledge rather than the Self.
Application: Use bodily awareness to cultivate moderation and detachment: care for health without identity-clinging; let measurement/limits remind you to invest daily attention in japa, seva, and sattvic habits.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sage sits beside palm-leaf manuscripts and a small balance scale, calmly instructing a royal listener about the body’s inner measures. Behind them, a faint translucent silhouette of a human form is diagrammed like a sacred yantra, suggesting the body as a temporary vessel while a subtle Vishnu-emblem (śaṅkha-cakra) glows in the distance as the true refuge.","primary_figures":["a teaching sage (Pulastya-like)","a listening king (Bhīṣma-like or generic rājan)","subtle Vishnu symbol in the background"],"setting":"Quiet hermitage study space with manuscripts, measuring vessels (kuḍava, āḍhaka), and ritual calm; distant riverbank hinted but not central.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["sandalwood beige","ink black","copper bronze","leaf green","soft saffron"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a serene rishi teaching a crowned king, with stylized measuring vessels (kuḍava, āḍhaka) and a small balance scale in the foreground; ornate gold-leaf haloing the sage, rich maroon and emerald textiles, gem-studded ornaments on the king; in the upper corner a subtle Vishnu śaṅkha-cakra motif rendered in gold relief, South Indian iconographic symmetry, intricate floral borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate rishi and king seated on a low carpet in a forest hermitage veranda; fine linework showing palm-leaf manuscripts and tiny measuring cups; cool muted greens and stone greys, lyrical trees and a thin ribbon of river in the distance; refined faces, gentle gestures of instruction, airy negative space.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, natural pigment blocks; rishi with ochre skin tone and large expressive eyes instructing a king; foreground shows stylized vessels labeled by form; background includes a faint Vishnu emblem (conch and discus) within a circular mandala; dominant reds, yellows, greens with temple-wall aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional backdrop with lotus and tulasi-like floral borders framing a didactic scene—sage and king seated beneath a stylized canopy; deep indigo ground with gold detailing; incorporate subtle Vaishnava symbols (śaṅkha, cakra) and miniature lotuses; intricate border work, Nathdwara-inspired ornamentation though the scene is instructional rather than pastoral."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","page-turning of palm leaves","low drone (tanpura)","distant flowing water","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कफस्यार्धाढकं→कफस्य अर्धाढकम्; वसायाश्च→वसायाः च; पंच→पञ्च (अनुस्वार-लोप/लेखनभेद); तदर्धं→तदर्धम् (म्-आगम/लेखनभेद)।
FAQs
It gives traditional quantitative measures for bodily substances—pitta (bile), kapha (phlegm), and vasā (fat)—using classical Indian units like kuḍava, āḍhaka, and pala.
They are classical Indian units: kuḍava and āḍhaka are measures of volume, while pala is a measure of weight, commonly used in medical, culinary, and ritual contexts.
Not directly; it is primarily technical, reflecting the Purana’s encyclopedic style that also preserves practical knowledge such as measurements and physiological categories.