Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 36
The Deeds of Cyavana
in the Context of Guru-tirtha Glorification
द्वीपानां तु समस्तानि सुतीर्थानि महांति च । मूर्तिलिंगधराण्येव सहस्राक्षं सुरेश्वरम्
dvīpānāṃ tu samastāni sutīrthāni mahāṃti ca | mūrtiliṃgadharāṇyeva sahasrākṣaṃ sureśvaram
تمام دْویپوں میں یقیناً سوتیرتھ ہیں، اور بڑے تیرتھ بھی؛ اور مورت اور لِنگ دھارنے والی صورتیں بھی ہیں—جو سہسرآکش، دیوتاؤں کے ایشور، کی پرستش کرتی ہیں۔
Unspecified in provided excerpt (commonly within Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue in Padma Purāṇa)
Concept: Wherever beings dwell, there are supports for worship—tīrtha, image, and symbol—so dharma is practicable in every realm.
Application: Create a ‘micro-tīrtha’ at home: a clean worship corner with a Viṣṇu image, water vessel, and lamp—making daily life itself a dvīpa with a tīrtha.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cosmic atlas opens to reveal concentric dvīpas like jeweled rings, each dotted with shining tīrthas and temples. At the center, Sahasrākṣa Indra sits on a cloud-throne, while below him countless mūrtis and liṅgas glow as if responding to a single celestial command.","primary_figures":["Indra (Sahasrākṣa)","Devas and gandharvas","Pilgrims/sages as tiny figures across dvīpas"],"setting":"A celestial court merging into a cosmographic mandala of dvīpas, oceans, and sacred sites.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["electric blue","cloud white","sun-gold","ruby red","jade green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Indra with a thousand-eyed aura seated on a gold-embossed cloud throne, surrounded by concentric dvīpa rings rendered as jeweled bands; tiny gold-leaf temples and liṅgas across the rings; rich reds/greens, heavy ornamentation, embossed halos and decorative borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a refined cosmographic mandala with soft washes for oceans and delicate linework for dvīpas; Indra in the upper register with subtle radiance; miniature shrines and tīrtha-ghāṭs sprinkled across landscapes; cool palette and lyrical spacing.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Indra in frontal iconic pose with bold outlines and stylized eyes; dvīpas depicted as patterned concentric bands filled with temple icons and liṅga symbols; strong reds/yellows/greens with rhythmic decorative motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a circular dvīpa-mandala with repeating shrine motifs; central medallion suggests divine sovereignty; ornate floral borders, lotuses and peacocks at the edges; deep blue ground with gold highlights and symmetrical composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["thunder in distance","conch shell","celestial drums (dundubhi)","wind over oceans"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मूर्तिलिंगधराण्येव = मूर्ति + लिङ्गधराणि + एव (इ + ल → इल; णि + एव → ण्येव). Here मूर्ति is first member; main pada resolved as लिङ्गधराणि with prefix-member मूर्ति.
FAQs
It presents the world’s dvīpas as filled with many tīrthas—both numerous and “great”—implying a widespread sacred geography rather than holiness confined to one region.
The pairing suggests multiple recognized modes of sanctity and worship—iconic forms (mūrti) and liṅga-shrines—within the tīrtha landscape described by the text.
Sahasrākṣa (“thousand-eyed”) is a standard epithet of Indra, the sureśvara (lord of the devas). His mention frames the tīrthas and shrines within a cosmic, deity-centered sacred order.