Shloka 5
Praise of Digging Wells and Building Water-Reservoirs
The Merit of Water-Works
मेघे वर्षति खाते च जायंते ये तु शीकराः । तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि दिवमश्नाति मानवः
meghe varṣati khāte ca jāyaṃte ye tu śīkarāḥ | tāvadvarṣasahasrāṇi divamaśnāti mānavaḥ
جب بادل برستا ہے اور زمین پر پڑ کر جتنے چھینٹے اور قطرے اٹھتے ہیں، اتنے ہی ہزار برس انسان سُوَرگ کی نعمتوں سے بہرہ مند ہوتا ہے۔
Unspecified (context-dependent within Adhyaya 57; commonly part of a narrator-to-inquirer dialogue in the Padma Purāṇa)
Concept: Even minute units (droplets) become measures of vast karmic fruit; dharma’s results can be unimaginably expansive when tied to life-sustaining elements like water.
Application: Do not dismiss small acts of service—each ‘drop’ of help accumulates; cultivate consistent generosity, especially toward basic needs (water).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A monsoon cloud bursts over parched earth, and as raindrops strike the ground, a spray of countless shimmering droplets rises like pearls. In a visionary overlay, each droplet transforms into a tiny star, forming a luminous ladder to svarga where the benefactor’s subtle body enjoys celestial gardens—making the verse’s ‘thousands of years’ feel tangible.","primary_figures":["monsoon cloud (Parjanya motif)","human benefactor (symbolic)","celestial beings (apsaras/gandharvas as silhouettes)"],"setting":"Open landscape at the first monsoon rain; visionary celestial garden superimposed above","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["storm indigo","silver rain","emerald earth","pearl white","celestial gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic monsoon cloud releasing silver rain over earth; gold leaf used to highlight each droplet-sparkle turning into celestial stars; upper register shows svarga garden with ornate arches, apsaras in rich silks, gem-studded motifs, and a radiant path connecting rain to heaven.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: poetic monsoon landscape with fine rain lines and delicate spray; subtle mystical transition to a pale-gold celestial terrace above; cool blues and greens, refined figures, lyrical atmosphere capturing wonder without heaviness.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold cloud form and patterned rain; symbolic droplets rendered as pearl-like circles rising; upper band shows svarga with stylized dancers and attendants; strong contrasts, temple-wall composition, red/yellow/green accents against indigo.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: rain rendered as strings of pearls over a deep indigo field; droplets become lotus buds and stars; ornate floral borders, peacocks dancing in rain, upper section with golden celestial grove—dense decorative detailing linking nature’s rain to spiritual reward."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["thunder rumble","heavy rainfall","water splashing","distant conch"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि → तावत् वर्षसहस्राणि; दिवमश्नाति → दिवम् अश्नाति
FAQs
It expresses a karmic result (puṇya-phala): a meritorious act yields a long enjoyment of heaven, described through a vivid numerical metaphor—counting rain-spray droplets as a measure of duration.
Rain droplets are innumerable and immediate to observe; the image functions as a poetic way to indicate an immense, hard-to-count reward—“as many as the droplets, so many thousand years.”
This specific verse frames results in terms of merit and heavenly enjoyment (svarga). In the broader Padma Purāṇa, such merit-based passages often coexist with (and are sometimes contrasted against) bhakti-focused teachings elsewhere.