Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 64
Pitṛmātṛtīrtha Greatness & the Discourse on Embodiment: Karma, Birth, Impurity, and Dispassion
पंचार्बुद पला ज्ञेयाः पलानि दश मेदसः । पलत्रयं महारक्तं मज्जा रक्ताच्चतुर्गुणा
paṃcārbuda palā jñeyāḥ palāni daśa medasaḥ | palatrayaṃ mahāraktaṃ majjā raktāccaturguṇā
جان لو کہ چربی (مید) کی مقدار دس پل ہے؛ عظیم خون تین پل ہے؛ اور مغزِ استخوان خون سے چار گنا ہے—یہ سب بدن کی پیمائشیں بیان کی گئی ہیں۔
Unspecified narrator within the Bhūmi-khaṇḍa dialogue context (chapter gives prescriptive/encyclopedic measures; exact speaker not explicit from the single verse).
Concept: What seems ‘me’ is a composite of measurable substances; knowing this weakens ego and strengthens the search for the imperishable.
Application: When vanity, anger, or fear arises, recall the body’s composite nature; choose humility, cleanliness, and devotional routine over reactive identification.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A parchment-like tableau shows the human body as a sacred diagram: vessels of ‘medas’, ‘mahārakta’, and ‘majjā’ represented by small calibrated jars arranged around a translucent figure. A sage points with a kusha-grass stylus while the king listens, the atmosphere calm yet subtly sobering, as if the lesson is meant to dissolve pride.","primary_figures":["teaching sage","royal listener","symbolic translucent human figure"],"setting":"Hermitage classroom with low wooden desk, palm-leaf manuscripts, calibrated jars; minimalistic background to emphasize instruction.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["pale parchment","vermillion","smoky grey","antique gold","deep teal"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central seated rishi with gold-leaf halo, pointing toward a stylized translucent human outline; around it, ornate jars labeled as bodily substances, rendered like ritual vessels; king with jeweled crown and folded hands; heavy gold embellishment, rich reds/greens, temple-arch framing, symmetrical composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate indoor hermitage scene with delicate brushwork; small jars and manuscripts meticulously detailed; soft mountain-like cool palette even indoors, refined facial expressions; a faint diagrammatic human silhouette in wash technique; lyrical restraint and clarity.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, flat pigments; rishi and king in profile; diagrammatic human figure in the center with surrounding vessel icons; dominant red-yellow-green palette, temple-wall texture, stylized eyes and ornaments.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: instructional scene framed by lotus borders and Vaishnava symbols; deep blue background with gold floral filigree; central diagrammatic figure surrounded by small kalash-like vessels; ornate border patterns, Nathdwara-inspired decorative density."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["tanpura drone","soft mridangam pulse","distant birds","gentle bell chime at cadences"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पञ्चार्बुद = पञ्च + अर्बुद (सन्धिः); रक्ताच्चतुर्गुणा = रक्तात् + चतुर्गुणा (त् + च → च्च).
FAQs
It gives traditional quantitative measures (in palas) for bodily substances—fat (medas), blood (rakta), and marrow (majjā)—as part of an encyclopedic description.
A pala is an ancient Indian unit of weight/measure used in medical, ritual, and technical literature; here it is used to express relative quantities of bodily constituents.
Not directly; it functions more as technical/encyclopedic instruction. Any broader lesson is indirect—valuing disciplined knowledge (śāstra) about the body and its constituents.