Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 19
The Glory of Guru-Tīrtha: The Guru as Supreme Pilgrimage
Prelude: Cyavana and the Parable Cycle
तीर्थयात्रां प्रयास्यामि अभीष्टफलदायिनीम् । गृहक्षेत्रादिसंत्यज्य भार्यां पुत्रं धनं ततः
tīrthayātrāṃ prayāsyāmi abhīṣṭaphaladāyinīm | gṛhakṣetrādisaṃtyajya bhāryāṃ putraṃ dhanaṃ tataḥ
“میں تِیرتھ یاترا کے لیے روانہ ہوں گا جو مطلوبہ پھل عطا کرتی ہے؛ گھر، کھیت اور دیگر سب چھوڑ کر، پھر بیوی، بیٹا اور مال و دولت بھی ترک کر دوں گا۔”
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses of Bhūmi-khaṇḍa 85).
Concept: Pilgrimage becomes transformative when paired with tyāga—releasing clinging to home, land, and even familial/wealth identity.
Application: Practice measured detachment: simplify possessions, reduce status-identity, and dedicate travel/ritual acts to spiritual growth rather than display.
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A pilgrim-king steps out of his palace gate, turning once to look back at family and wealth left behind, then fixing his gaze on a distant line of temples and riverbanks. His attendants fade into the background as he walks alone with a staff and water-pot, embodying heroic renunciation.","primary_figures":["pilgrim-king/seeker","wife and child (in the distance, symbolic)","temple priests or pilgrims (background)"],"setting":"city gate opening to a long pilgrimage road with way-side shrines, banyan trees, and distant ghats","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["saffron ochre","dusty rose","river-blue haze","bronze","ivory"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: the king as pilgrim with staff and kamaṇḍalu departing a palace archway, gold leaf highlights on temple spires in the distance, rich maroon and emerald textiles, ornate borders with lotus and conch motifs, devotional Vaishnava iconography subtly present.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a lone traveler on a winding path, delicate architecture of a palace behind, soft dawn gradients, refined expressions of detachment, distant ghats and small shrines rendered with lyrical naturalism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized departure scene with bold outlines, the pilgrim’s determined eyes, warm yellow-red palette, decorative creeper borders, simplified palace and shrine silhouettes emphasizing dharma-journey.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: pilgrimage road framed by intricate floral borders, lotus and conch motifs, deep blue horizon with gold accents, peacocks near banyan roots, a small Viṣṇu shrine motif guiding the traveler."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["footsteps on stone","morning conch","temple bells","distant chanting"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: गृहक्षेत्रादिसंत्यज्य → गृहक्षेत्रादि + सन्त्यज्य.
FAQs
It presents pilgrimage (tīrtha-yātrā) as a spiritually potent act and links it with vairāgya—detachment from possessions and family ties—suggesting that inner renunciation strengthens sacred travel.
The verse uses strong renunciatory language; in Purāṇic contexts this often functions as an idealized statement of detachment. A full ethical reading depends on the surrounding narrative and the speaker’s life-stage (e.g., householder vs. renunciant).
It frames pilgrimage as “fruit-giving”—capable of granting sought-after outcomes—typically understood as merit (puṇya), purification, and spiritual progress, rather than merely worldly gain.