Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 9
Yayāti’s Ascent to Heaven
and Entry into Vaikuṇṭha
गुणानां हि महाराज आकरः सत्यपंडितः । कुर्वंति च महाधर्मं सत्यवंतो महौजसः
guṇānāṃ hi mahārāja ākaraḥ satyapaṃḍitaḥ | kurvaṃti ca mahādharmaṃ satyavaṃto mahaujasaḥ
اے مہاراج! سچّے اور دانا لوگ یقیناً خوبیوں کی کان ہیں؛ اور جو سچّے اور عظیم قوت والے ہیں وہ اعلیٰ ترین دھرم پر عمل کرتے ہیں۔
Unspecified (contextual dialogue in Bhūmi-khaṇḍa; speaker not identifiable from the single verse alone)
Concept: Truthfulness (satya) is a generative source of all virtues; satyavān persons, strengthened by inner vigor, naturally enact mahā-dharma.
Application: Practice truth that is also wise: verify, speak with restraint, keep promises; cultivate ojas through sāttvika habits so dharma becomes effortless.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sage addresses a crowned king seated on a lion-throne, pointing gently toward a balance scale where 'satya' outweighs gold. Behind them, a faint cosmic wheel suggests dharma’s universal reach, while the king’s face softens into resolve.","primary_figures":["Sage/minister delivering counsel","Mahārāja (king)","Personified Satya (symbolic, as a glowing script or aura)"],"setting":"Royal sabhā with banners, incense, and a side alcove holding a Viṣṇu lamp and śāstra bundles.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["royal blue","burnished gold","ivory white","maroon","smoky gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: king on ornate throne listening to a sage, gold leaf halo around both, a symbolic scale with the word 'SATYA' in Devanagari glowing, rich maroons and greens, heavy jewelry, temple-like arch framing the scene, embossed gold patterns.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate court counseling scene with delicate facial expressions, soft dawn light entering from a jharokha, cool blues and warm ochres, a subtle dharma-chakra motif in the sky beyond the palace garden.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: frontal king and sage with stylized eyes, bold outlines, flat fields of red/yellow/green, a prominent dharma-chakra emblem above, lamp flames and incense curls rendered decoratively.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: court scene framed by lotus and tulasi vines, peacocks at corners, a small Viṣṇu shrine centered in the border, deep indigo ground with gold floral filigree, the word 'satya' integrated as ornamental calligraphy."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["courtly mridang pulse (soft)","temple bell accent","incense crackle","distant conch","murmur of assembly fading into silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: महौजसः → महा + ओजसः (vowel sandhi: ā + o → au). कुर्वंति normalized to कुर्वन्ति (standard present 3pl).
FAQs
It teaches that truthfulness (satya), joined with wisdom, becomes a repository of all virtues and naturally leads one to practice the highest dharma.
It presents satya not merely as a virtue among others but as a foundation: truthful, wise people embody virtues and therefore live out “mahādharma,” the noblest form of righteous conduct.
A ruler should honor and cultivate truthfulness and wise counsel, since truth-bearing, strong-willed persons are depicted as the natural practitioners of the highest righteousness.