Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 59
Karmic Causality, Fate, and the Supremacy of Food-Charity
within Guru-tīrtha Glorification
अन्नमेव वदंत्येत ऋषयो वेदपारगाः । प्राणभूतं न संदेहममृताद्धि समुद्भवम्
annameva vadaṃtyeta ṛṣayo vedapāragāḥ | prāṇabhūtaṃ na saṃdehamamṛtāddhi samudbhavam
ویدوں کے پارنگت رشی کہتے ہیں کہ اَنّ ہی پران، یعنی زندگی ہے—اس میں کوئی شک نہیں—کیونکہ یہ امرت، یعنی لافانی جوہر سے پیدا ہوتا ہے۔
Unspecified narrator/teaching voice (verse presents a general ṛṣi-doctrine rather than a marked dialogue line).
Concept: Food is identified with life itself; its origin is traced to amṛta, implying a sacred, quasi-divine status of nourishment.
Application: Treat food as sacred: avoid waste, eat mindfully, share before consuming, and maintain purity in preparation and intention.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cosmic tableau shows ‘Anna’ as a luminous principle: grains and fruits orbit like constellations around a subtle nectar-like amṛta stream descending from the heavens. Below, sages with Veda manuscripts gesture toward a simple meal, revealing it as the visible form of an invisible immortal essence sustaining prāṇa.","primary_figures":["Veda-knowing ṛṣis","personified Anna as a radiant presence","subtle Viṣṇu/Vaiśvānara aura"],"setting":"hermitage on a riverless plain that opens into a cosmic sky; manuscripts, fire altar, and a humble leaf-plate meal","lighting_mood":"divine radiance with starry overtones","color_palette":["midnight blue","nectar gold","pearl white","saffron","smoky gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: sages holding palm-leaf Vedas point to a glowing leaf-plate of food; above, a gold-leaf amṛta stream descends like a haloed cascade; embossed celestial motifs, rich reds and greens in garments, ornate border with lotus and conch emblems.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: contemplative hermitage scene with sages and a simple meal; the sky opens into a delicate cosmic wash where amṛta appears as a pale-gold ribbon; fine linework, restrained palette, poetic symbolism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold, iconic sages with manuscripts; stylized amṛta cloud pouring into a radiant food vessel; strong outlines, temple-wall symmetry, red/yellow/green dominance with deep blue background.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central mandala of ‘Anna’ with lotus petals; surrounding panels show sages declaring its truth; deep blue cloth, gold floral borders, conch and lotus motifs, devotional abstraction suggesting Vaiśvānara within all beings."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["low tanpura","fire crackle","soft conch","long pauses of silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अन्नमेव = अन्नम् + एव; वदंत्येत = वदन्ति + एते; संदेहममृताद्धि = संदेहम् + अमृतात् + हि (म्+अ→म; त्+हि→द्धि); समुद्भवम् = सम्+उद्भवम्.
FAQs
It presents food as sacred and foundational—identifying it with prāṇa (life-force) and tracing its origin to amṛta, implying that sustaining life through food participates in a divine or immortal order.
Indirectly yes: if food is life itself, then feeding others is equivalent to sustaining their life-force, making annadāna a high dharmic act consistent with Purāṇic ethics.
Revere food, avoid waste and disrespect toward it, and recognize that nourishment is not merely material but a life-sustaining principle with sacred origin.