Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 14
Manifestation of the Śrī Vāsudeva Hymn in the Glory of Guru-tīrtha
Cyavana Narrative within the Vena Episode
गंधर्वस्वरसंघुष्टश्चाप्सरोभिः समन्वितः । सर्वकामसमृद्धस्तु अन्नोदकविवर्जितः
gaṃdharvasvarasaṃghuṣṭaścāpsarobhiḥ samanvitaḥ | sarvakāmasamṛddhastu annodakavivarjitaḥ
گندھروں کی موسیقی سے گونجتا ہوا اور اپسراؤں کے ساتھ، یہ ہر خواہش مند خوشی سے مالا مال ہے—پھر بھی یہ کھانے اور پانی سے خالی ہے۔
Unspecified (context-dependent within Adhyāya 98 dialogue)
Concept: Heavenly pleasures can be abundant yet ultimately unsatisfying; without ‘true nourishment’ (spiritual sustenance), delight is incomplete.
Application: Enjoy comforts without mistaking them for life’s purpose; cultivate daily bhakti (nāma, pūjā, seva) as the real ‘food and water’ of the heart.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside the vimāna, jeweled pillars and silken canopies glow while Gandharvas sing in interwoven harmonies and Apsarases move like living poetry. Yet a deliberate emptiness is shown: no bowls, no water-jars—only opulence that cannot truly sustain, a quiet visual paradox.","primary_figures":["Gandharvas","Apsarases","celestial vimāna interior (ornate)"],"setting":"opulent aerial chariot interior with open arches revealing the sky; empty golden trays and absent water vessels emphasized symbolically","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["ivory","antique gold","midnight blue","ruby red","smoky lavender"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: lavish vimāna interior with embossed gold pillars, Gandharvas singing with vīṇā, apsarases in ruby-green garments, conspicuously empty gold platters and no water pots to symbolize anna-udaka-vivarjita, ornate lotus border and subtle śaṅkha-cakra motifs.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate interior scene with delicate facial expressions, cool moonlit blues, Gandharvas in soft pastels, apsarases dancing, and a poignant detail—an empty tray and a missing water pot—rendered with understated symbolism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: rhythmic composition of musicians and dancers, bold outlines, warm pigments, stylized empty vessels area left intentionally blank to convey absence, decorative cloud bands framing the vimāna arches.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: mandala-like arrangement of Gandharvas and Apsarases around an empty central offering space, lotus and vine borders, deep indigo background with gold accents, symbolic emptiness highlighted as a devotional lesson."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["distant celestial choir","soft bells","tanpura drone","gentle flute","intentional pauses (silence)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: संघुष्टश्च = संघुष्टः + च; समृद्धस्तु = समृद्धः + तु।
FAQs
It contrasts celestial enjoyments (music, Apsarases, fulfillment of desires) with a basic absence of sustenance (food and water), implying that pleasure can exist without true nourishment or stability.
Gandharvas are heavenly musicians, and Apsarases are celestial nymphs; together they symbolize refined, otherworldly enjoyment and aesthetic pleasure.
The verse can be read as a reminder that sensory or worldly abundance may still lack essential support, encouraging discernment and detachment (vairāgya) from merely pleasurable conditions.