Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 18
Glory of Guru-tīrtha and the Kubjā Confluence: How Festival Bathing Removes Grave Sin
तत्र स्नाता महाराज न जहाति च पातकः । लज्जयाविष्टमनसा मानसो हंसरूपधृक्
tatra snātā mahārāja na jahāti ca pātakaḥ | lajjayāviṣṭamanasā mānaso haṃsarūpadhṛk
اے مہاراج، وہاں غسل کرنے کے بعد بھی گناہ فوراً نہیں جاتا۔ مانسروور سے پیدا ہونے والا وہ، ہنس کی صورت دھار کر، شرم سے گھرا ہوا دل لیے ٹھہرا رہتا ہے۔
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (likely a narrator-sage addressing a king).
Concept: External bathing does not instantly erase sin when the mind remains burdened by guilt; inner transformation must accompany tīrtha-sevā.
Application: Treat sacred practices as catalysts for repentance: confess inwardly, resolve to change, and pair pilgrimage/ritual with japa and ethical restraint.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"On the wind-swept shore of Mānasarovara, a regal pilgrim-king watches a solitary haṃsa whose wings gleam white yet whose head bows in palpable shame. The water is mirror-still, reflecting snow peaks and a faint, unseen divine presence, while the atmosphere suggests that the lake tests the heart more than it washes the skin.","primary_figures":["Haṃsa (swan-form being)","Pilgrim king (Maharaja)","Narrator-sage (optional, seated aside)"],"setting":"High-altitude sacred lake with Kailāsa-like snow mountains, prayer flags, sparse alpine grasses, stone steps leading into the water","lighting_mood":"cold dawn with subtle divine radiance on the waterline","color_palette":["glacial turquoise","snow white","slate gray","pale gold","deep indigo"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Mānasarovara tīrtha at dawn with a bowed haṃsa near lotus-ringed steps, a crowned king in añjali on the shore, distant Kailāsa peaks; gold leaf embellishment on the lake’s rim and royal ornaments, rich reds and greens in the king’s garments, gem-studded jewelry, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry with a faint Viṣṇu aura suggested in the sky.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate haṃsa by the turquoise lake, the king and a sage on a rocky bank, cool Himalayan palette, lyrical naturalism with snow peaks and thin clouds, refined facial features, gentle ripples and tiny alpine flowers, contemplative negative space.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, stylized haṃsa with expressive eyes lowered in shame, king in ornate costume at the lake steps, natural pigments with dominant reds/yellows/greens, temple-wall aesthetic framing the lake as a sacred mandala, subtle halo motifs around the tīrtha.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: lotus-bordered Mānasarovara with repeating haṃsa motifs, central scene of the bowed swan and praying king, intricate floral borders, deep blues and gold, peacocks at the margins, a discreet Viṣṇu śaṅkha-cakra emblem in the upper field to signal Vaiṣṇava sanctity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["high-altitude wind","gentle lapping water","distant temple bell","long silence between pādas"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: आविष्टमनसा = आविष्ट-मनसा (समास; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे विशेषण). हंसरूपधृक् = हंस-रूप-धृक् (उपपद-तत्पुरुष). स्नाता इति पाठे बहुवचनार्थे ‘स्नाताः’ ग्रहणम् (पाठभेद/लिप्यन्तरदोष सम्भवः).
FAQs
It cautions that bathing alone may not immediately remove sin; inner transformation (repentance, humility, right intention) is implied as necessary alongside external rites.
The verse alludes to a being associated with Mānasarovara (Mānasa). In Purāṇic imagery, the haṃsa (swan) often symbolizes discernment and a lofty, purified state; here it is contrasted with a mind overwhelmed by shame.
Moral purification is not merely ritualistic; wrongdoing is not erased instantly by external acts if the inner mind remains burdened—suggesting the need for sincere remorse and reform.