Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 29
Karmic Causality, Fate, and the Supremacy of Food-Charity
within Guru-tīrtha Glorification
कर्मक्षयात्तथा जंतोः शरीरं नाशमृच्छति । कर्मक्षयात्तथा मृत्युस्तत्त्वविद्भिरुदाहृतम्
karmakṣayāttathā jaṃtoḥ śarīraṃ nāśamṛcchati | karmakṣayāttathā mṛtyustattvavidbhirudāhṛtam
جیسے ہی کرم کا خاتمہ ہوتا ہے ویسے ہی جیو کا جسم فنا کو پہنچتا ہے۔ اسی طرح موت بھی—جیسا کہ حقیقت کے جاننے والوں نے فرمایا—کرم کے زوال ہی سے پیدا ہوتی ہے۔
Unspecified (narratorial/doctrinal statement within the chapter context)
Concept: Death and bodily dissolution occur when karma is exhausted; mṛtyu is explained as karmic depletion by truth-knowers.
Application: Live with urgency and humility: prioritize dharma, reduce harmful karma, and cultivate devotion daily; treat time as finite fuel and align choices with long-term spiritual outcomes.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A human figure stands between two realms: behind, a fading body like a sand-mandala dissolving; ahead, a path of light leading toward a distant Vishnu-loka symbolized by a radiant lotus. Above, a cosmic ledger of karma appears as faint script, its final line completing as the body’s outline vanishes.","primary_figures":["A departing jīva (subtle figure)","A dissolving body (symbolic)","A distant Vishnu-lotus realm emblem"],"setting":"Liminal space—cremation-ground horizon softened into a metaphysical landscape with lotus-path imagery.","lighting_mood":"twilight turning into divine radiance","color_palette":["smoky violet","cremation ash gray","lotus pink","radiant gold","deep sapphire"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central jīva figure moving toward a gold-leaf lotus gateway representing Viṣṇu’s realm; the dissolving body rendered with stylized ash textures; ornate gold borders and temple arch motifs, rich reds and greens framing the karmic ‘ledger’ as decorative script panels.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: gentle twilight cremation-ground with delicate trees and river-haze; the subtle body painted translucently; a luminous lotus-path in soft pinks and golds leading to a distant celestial pavilion; refined, contemplative mood.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, symbolic cremation pyre reduced to patterned motifs; the jīva as a pale figure moving toward a bright lotus-disc; strong red-yellow-green palette with black contour lines emphasizing inevitability and calm.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: narrative border of lotus petals counting down like karmic units; central lotus-gate with Vishnu emblem; peacocks and floral filigree framing the transition from ash-gray lower band to deep-blue upper band with gold stars."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["low drone (tanpura)","distant conch","soft bell","wind through trees"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कर्मक्षयात्तथा = कर्मक्षयात् + तथा; नाशमृच्छति = नाशम् + ऋच्छति; मृत्युस्तत्त्वविद्भिरुदाहृतम् = मृत्युः + तत्त्वविद्भिः + उदाहृतम्
FAQs
It teaches that the end of the body and the event called death occur when one’s accumulated karma is exhausted (karmakṣaya).
Law-governed: it frames death as a consequence within the moral-causal order of karma rather than as a mere accident.
It encourages mindful action and spiritual practice, since actions (karma) shape embodied continuity and its cessation.