Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 38
The Sin of Breaking Households: Citrā’s Past Karma and the Remedy of Hari’s Name and Meditation
सा चित्रा नरकं प्राप्ता वेदना व्रातदायकम् । भुंक्ते दुःखं महाराज सा वै युगसहस्रकम्
sā citrā narakaṃ prāptā vedanā vrātadāyakam | bhuṃkte duḥkhaṃ mahārāja sā vai yugasahasrakam
وہ عورت چترا دوزخ کو پہنچی، جہاں عذابوں کے انبار دیے جاتے ہیں۔ اے مہاراج! وہ پورے ہزار یگ تک دکھ بھگتتی ہے۔
Unspecified narrator addressing a king (mahārāja)
Concept: Severe suffering in naraka can extend across vast cosmic time; karmic consequence is proportionate and enduring when unmitigated by repentance or dharmic counteraction.
Application: Use fear as a constructive brake: avoid harm, deceit, exploitation; adopt regular purificatory disciplines (ekādaśī fasting, charity, truthfulness) before habits become destiny.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A vast infernal landscape stretches under a smoke-choked sky: jagged rocks, rivers of burning mire, and countless chambers of punishment. Citrā is shown enduring a specific torment amid a multitude of suffering beings, while distant wardens move like silhouettes—emphasizing the impersonality of karmic law.","primary_figures":["Citrā","nāraka wardens (yamadūtas)","suffering beings (anonymous)"],"setting":"Naraka terrain with iron spikes, dark caverns, punitive pits, and a horizon of ash; inscriptions of ‘karma’ motifs on stone tablets.","lighting_mood":"dramatic","color_palette":["soot black","blood red","molten orange","sickly green","ashen gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: infernal court scene rendered with ornate borders—Citrā in the foreground, yamadūtas with stylized weapons; gold leaf used sparingly as ironic glint on chains and inscriptions; deep maroon and black background, high-contrast flames; traditional iconographic clarity despite grim subject.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: symbolic naraka landscape with delicate yet unsettling detail—thin lines for spikes, smoky washes for sky; Citrā’s expression refined and tragic; cool grays and muted reds, layered depth suggesting endless chambers of suffering.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and rhythmic patterns depict flames, spikes, and wardens; Citrā centered with expressive eyes; strong red/yellow/green pigments with black shadows; mural symmetry conveys inevitability rather than chaos.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical ‘wheel of karma’ border encircling a central naraka vignette; lotus motifs fade into thorn motifs; deep indigo cloth with gold and vermilion detailing, intricate patterns contrasting with the moral warning scene."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["thunder","wailing wind","chain clinks","low drum","sudden silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: No major external sandhi besides standard anusvāra; ‘भुंक्ते’ = ‘भुङ्क्ते’ orthographic variant.
FAQs
The verse describes Citrā, who is said to reach naraka (hell) and endure intense suffering there.
It implies a realm that “dispenses multitudes of torments”—i.e., a hell characterized by many forms of painful retribution.
It underscores the Padma Purana’s moral logic of karma: harmful actions can ripen into prolonged suffering, portrayed here as an extremely long duration (a thousand yugas).