Shloka 54
The Abduction/Seduction of Ahalyā and Indra’s Mark
Sahasrākṣa
इति श्रीपाद्मपुराणे प्रथमे सृष्टिखंडे अहल्याहरणंनाम चतुष्पंचाशत्तमोऽध्यायः
iti śrīpādmapurāṇe prathame sṛṣṭikhaṃḍe ahalyāharaṇaṃnāma catuṣpaṃcāśattamo'dhyāyaḥ
یوں مقدّس شری پدما پران کے پہلے بھاگ (سِرشٹِکھنڈ) میں “اہلیا ہَرَن” نامی چونواں باب اختتام کو پہنچا۔
Narrator/Redactor (colophon line; not part of the dialogue)
Concept: Śāstra is preserved through careful structure—chapters, titles, and endings—supporting faithful remembrance and recitation.
Application: Treat study/recitation as a vrata-like discipline: begin, complete, and conclude with mindfulness; keep notes of sources and contexts to avoid distortion.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A palm-leaf manuscript lies open on a low wooden desk, its final line written in elegant Nāgarī, while a scribe places a fresh lotus beside a small Viṣṇu icon. In the background, a quiet āśrama library glows with oil lamps, signaling the completion of a sacred chapter and the continuity of tradition.","primary_figures":["scribe (lekhaka)","Vaiṣṇava reciter (paurāṇika)","small Viṣṇu icon (mūrti)"],"setting":"āśrama library/scriptorium with palm-leaf manuscripts, ink pot, stylus, lotus offering","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["burnished gold","palm-leaf ochre","lamp-flame amber","deep vermilion","indigo shadow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a seated paurāṇika-scribe before an open palm-leaf manuscript inscribed with the colophon line, a small Viṣṇu shrine at the side with gold-leaf halo, rich red and green textiles, gem-studded ornaments on the icon, ornate arch motif, sacred lotus placed as offering, intricate gold embellishment on borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: an intimate āśrama study scene with delicate brushwork—scribe finishing the last line of a chapter on a palm-leaf folio, a quiet Vaiṣṇava altar with a tiny Viṣṇu image, cool earthy palette, refined faces, slender lamps, Himalayan-like stylized trees beyond a window, lyrical stillness.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and natural pigments—scribe and reciter near a small Viṣṇu shrine, lamp-lit interior, stylized lotus and manuscript motifs, characteristic large eyes, red/yellow/green palette, temple-wall aesthetic with decorative bands framing the colophon completion.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: manuscript-completion tableau framed by intricate floral borders and lotus motifs, central small Viṣṇu/Śrī icon with deep blue and gold accents, hanging lamps, peacocks at the border corners, devotional atmosphere emphasizing śāstra-śravaṇa as offering."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","lamp crackle","page/palm-leaf rustle","distant conch shell","silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तमोऽध्यायः = तमः + अध्यायः (अः + अ → ओऽ). अहल्याहरणंनाम = अहल्याहरणं + नाम (सन्ध्यभावः/पदसंयोगः).
FAQs
It is a colophon (chapter-ending marker) that names the text (Padma Purāṇa), the section (Sṛṣṭi-khaṇḍa), and the chapter number and title.
Literally “the carrying away/abduction of Ahalyā”; it serves as the chapter title summarizing the main episode discussed in Adhyaya 54.
No character is speaking; it is an editorial/narratorial closure formula used to mark the end of the chapter.