Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 35
Yayāti Episode: Indra’s Anxiety, the Messenger Motif, and a Discourse on Time (Kāla) and Karma
परिभावकरः कालो यत्रकुत्रापि तिष्ठतः । नरं करोति दातारं याचितारं च वै पुनः
paribhāvakaraḥ kālo yatrakutrāpi tiṣṭhataḥ | naraṃ karoti dātāraṃ yācitāraṃ ca vai punaḥ
ذلت اور الٹ پھیر لانے والا زمانہ جہاں کہیں بھی ٹھہرے، انسان کو بار بار کبھی دینے والا اور کبھی مانگنے والا بنا دیتا ہے۔
Unspecified (narrative voice within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa, Adhyaya 81 context)
Concept: Time causes reversals—today’s giver may become tomorrow’s beggar—so practice humility and steady virtue.
Application: Give without pride; save and share; treat those in need with respect, remembering roles can reverse; keep a daily offering practice (naivedya/dāna) as spiritual steadiness.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A diptych-like scene shows the same man in two moments: on one side he offers gold and grain to supplicants from a high seat; on the other, under a turning wheel of Time, he stands with a begging bowl, head bowed yet dignified. The wheel’s rotation visually links the two, teaching humility and compassion.","primary_figures":["a man/king in prosperity","the same man in poverty","personified Kāla as a subtle wheel motif","beggars and donors (mirrored)"],"setting":"city street near a palace gate transitioning into a modest roadside shrine area, connected by a symbolic kāla-cakra","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["ochre","deep maroon","lamp gold","dusty teal","ivory"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: split-panel composition with ornate borders—left: richly dressed patron giving alms, right: same figure in simple cloth receiving alms; a gold-leaf kāla-cakra above connecting both; gem-studded ornaments on the prosperous side, subdued yet luminous tones on the humble side, traditional South Indian decorative architecture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: narrative diptych with delicate human expressions—pride softened into humility; fine textile patterns, gentle urban backdrop, a subtle wheel motif in the sky; cool yet warm-balanced palette, refined linework and lyrical storytelling.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and symbolic clarity—two stances of the same figure, giver and beggar; prominent circular kāla emblem overhead; strong reds/yellows/greens, stylized faces with large eyes, temple-wall symmetry and ornamental borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate floral border framing a moral allegory; central kāla wheel with two vignettes on either side—dāna and yācana; deep blues and maroons with gold highlights, intricate patterns on garments and offerings."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft handbell","murmur of a crowd fading","coin clink (subtle)","evening lamp crackle"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यत्रकुत्रापि = यत्र + कुत्र + अपि (समुच्चय/अनिश्चितार्थ); अन्यत्र स्पष्टपदानि।
FAQs
It teaches the impermanence of worldly status: time can reverse roles so that the same person becomes both a benefactor and a supplicant.
By highlighting role-reversal, it encourages humility in giving and compassion toward those who ask, since circumstances can change for anyone.
No. This shloka is a general reflection on kāla (time) and human fortunes rather than a deity- or tīrtha-specific statement.