Shloka 27
Right Conduct, Offenses Against Brāhmaṇas, Truthfulness, and the Greatness of the Cow
Go-Māhātmya
विचर्चिकाथ दद्रूश्च मंडलः शुक्ति सिध्मकौ । कालकुष्ठस्तथा शुक्लस्तरुणश्चातिदारुणः
vicarcikātha dadrūśca maṃḍalaḥ śukti sidhmakau | kālakuṣṭhastathā śuklastaruṇaścātidāruṇaḥ
نیز وِچَرچِکا، دَدرو، مَندَل، شُکتی اور سِدھمَک؛ اسی طرح کالکُشٹھ، شُکل اور تَرُن—یہ نہایت ہولناک جلدی امراض ہیں۔
Unspecified in provided excerpt (context needed from Adhyaya 48 framing dialogue).
Concept: Adharma manifests not only as abstract sin but as concrete suffering; naming diseases functions as a deterrent and a mirror of moral disorder.
Application: Use the verse as a mindfulness check: when tempted to insult or harm, recall the tangible cost; cultivate purity through truthful speech, compassion, and devotional habits.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A didactic ‘scroll of ailments’ comes alive: eight panels or a circular mandala each depicting a stylized form of kuṣṭha—vicarcikā, dadru, maṇḍala, śukti, sidhmaka, kālakuṣṭha, śukla, taruṇa—rendered symbolically rather than graphically, like patterns on skin and fading lotuses. At the center, a calm dharma emblem (a lamp or scripture) suggests the remedy is ethical purification.","primary_figures":["symbolic human figure (neutral)","dharma emblem (lamp/scripture)"],"setting":"instructional mandala/medical-dharma chart aesthetic, like a temple mural panel or manuscript folio","lighting_mood":"neutral didactic illumination with austere clarity","color_palette":["pale ivory","saffron","copper brown","indigo","chalk white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a mandala-like composition with eight labeled disease motifs around a central dharma lamp, ornate gold leaf borders, rich reds and greens, stylized non-gory skin-pattern symbolism, manuscript-like inscriptions integrated into the design.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a manuscript folio showing eight small vignettes of patterned skin conditions depicted as abstract floral/spot motifs on figures, with delicate Devanagari labels; soft washes, refined linework, restrained palette, contemplative didactic tone.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: temple-wall panel divided into eight compartments, each with bold patterned marks representing a kuṣṭha type; central lamp and scripture, strong black outlines, red/yellow/green pigments, symmetrical instructional layout.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: eight disease motifs rendered as withering lotus-petals and thorn patterns around a central pure lotus and lamp, intricate floral borders, deep blue ground with gold highlights, devotional-didactic fusion without graphic detail."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["steady tanpura drone","soft bell at each item","quiet hall ambience","measured pauses between disease names"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दद्रूश्च = दद्रूः + च; तरुणश्चातिदारुणः = तरुणः + च + अतिदारुणः; कालकुष्ठस्तथा = कालकुष्ठः + तथा; शुक्लस्तरुणः = शुक्लः + तरुणः (padapāṭha as separate items).
FAQs
Primarily it functions as an encyclopedic listing of named skin ailments (kuṣṭha and related conditions) within the Purāṇic narrative; many such lists also serve a didactic role in broader context, but the verse itself is classificatory.
They are traditional disease names often mapped approximately to ringworm/fungal infections (dadrū) and eczema-like eruptions (vicarcikā), though exact one-to-one medical equivalence is not always possible across systems.
As a Mahāpurāṇa, the Padma Purāṇa is encyclopedic: alongside cosmology and theology it preserves cultural knowledge—taxonomy of beings, places, rites, and also ailments—often to contextualize human suffering within dharma and karma discussions in the surrounding passages.