Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 25
The Tale of Kāmodā and Vihuṇḍa: Tear-Born Lotuses on the Gaṅgā and the Ethics of Worship
विष्णोश्चैव महामायां पूर्वदृष्टां स दानवः । सस्मार दानवः पापः कामबाणैः प्रपीडितः
viṣṇoścaiva mahāmāyāṃ pūrvadṛṣṭāṃ sa dānavaḥ | sasmāra dānavaḥ pāpaḥ kāmabāṇaiḥ prapīḍitaḥ
Tên Dānava gian ác, bị những mũi tên dục vọng hành hạ, lại nhớ đến Đại Ảo Lực (Mahāmāyā) của Viṣṇu mà hắn đã từng thấy trước kia.
Narrator (contextual; specific dialogue pair not explicit in the given single verse)
Concept: Memory (smṛti) can either liberate (when fixed on the Lord) or bind (when fixed on māyā and desire); what one repeatedly recalls becomes one’s inner world.
Application: Train remembrance: replace obsessive recollection of temptations with deliberate nāma-japa, śāstra-reading, and service so the mind’s default ‘smṛti’ becomes sattvic.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The dānava pauses amid turmoil, eyes widening as a vision of Viṣṇu’s Mahāmāyā rises in his mind like a mirage—half luminous, half terrifying. Invisible ‘arrows of desire’ seem to pierce his chest, shown as subtle red-gold streaks, while the remembered form shimmers just beyond reach.","primary_figures":["Dānava (tormented by kāma)","Mahāmāyā (as a radiant, elusive feminine power)","Viṣṇu (implied as source of māyā, optional distant aura)"],"setting":"Psychic inner landscape blending with a temple corridor or twilight grove—reality and illusion interpenetrate; floating petals and wavering air suggest māyā.","lighting_mood":"moonlit with uncanny radiance","color_palette":["electric sapphire","silver moon-white","rose-gold","shadow violet","smoldering red"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central dānava with expressive eyes, chest marked by stylized kāma-bāṇa motifs; behind him a shimmering Mahāmāyā figure with gold leaf aura and intricate jewelry; rich reds/blues, embossed gold patterns to convey illusion’s glitter.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: dreamlike double-plane composition—foreground demon in anguish, background translucent feminine form in pale blues and silvers; delicate lines for ‘desire arrows’ and soft gradients for mirage effect; lyrical trees and a faint shrine silhouette.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized Mahāmāyā with large eyes and ornate crown; demon in strong contrasting colors; swirling cloud motifs around to show māyā; traditional pigment palette with added silver-white highlights.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: deep blue field with gold floral borders; central figure of Mahāmāyā rendered as a luminous motif, surrounded by repeating arrow/flower patterns symbolizing kāma; demon at lower edge looking upward; intricate textile symmetry with intentional ‘waviness’ to suggest illusion."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft drone (tanpura)","distant conch","night insects","gentle wind"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विष्णोः + च + एव → विष्णोश्चैव।
FAQs
It refers to Viṣṇu’s vast power of Māyā—his divine, world-projecting and deluding potency—through which beings become captivated by appearances and desire.
“Kāma’s arrows” is a common Sanskrit metaphor for the intense compulsion of desire that wounds the mind and drives a person toward obsession and recollection of what they crave.
The verse highlights how desire can overpower discernment and pull even a determined being back into fascination with illusion (Māyā), implying the need for self-control and clarity to avoid being ruled by craving.