Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 61
The Sin of Breaking Households: Citrā’s Past Karma and the Remedy of Hari’s Name and Meditation
उज्ज्वल उवाच । वद तात परं ज्ञानं परमं मम सांप्रतम् । पश्चाद्ध्यान व्रतं पुण्यं नाम्नां शतमिहैव च
ujjvala uvāca | vada tāta paraṃ jñānaṃ paramaṃ mama sāṃpratam | paścāddhyāna vrataṃ puṇyaṃ nāmnāṃ śatamihaiva ca
Ujjvala thưa: “Bạch phụ thân kính yêu, xin nói cho con ngay bây giờ về trí tuệ tối thượng. Rồi sau đó, xin dạy thêm giới nguyện thiền định thanh tịnh, và ngay tại đây cũng xin tụng đủ một trăm Thánh Danh.”
Ujjvala
Concept: Approach to liberation is sequential: first receive para-jñāna, then undertake dhyāna-vrata, and finally stabilize devotion through nāma-smaraṇa (a hundred sacred names).
Application: Create a daily triad: (1) study a short teaching, (2) sit in meditation with a simple vow (time/discipline), (3) chant a fixed set of names (e.g., Viṣṇu-sahasranāma selections or a śata-nāma).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A young seeker, Ujjvala, sits with folded hands before his father-guru in a quiet hermitage hall. Palm-leaf manuscripts and a small oil lamp glow beside a tulasī pot, suggesting the coming shift from knowledge to vow and sacred names.","primary_figures":["Ujjvala","Kuṃjala (as father-guru)"],"setting":"forest āśrama interior with kusa mats, palm-leaf manuscripts, tulasī in a clay pot, and a low wooden teaching seat","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["lamp-gold","sandalwood beige","leaf-green","vermillion red","indigo shadow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Ujjvala kneeling with añjali before Kuṃjala seated on a carved wooden pīṭha, a glowing brass dīpa and a tulasī pot in the foreground, gold leaf halo around the guru, rich crimson and emerald textiles, gem-studded ornaments minimal and austere, South Indian iconographic clarity with ornate border motifs of lotus and conch.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate guru–son dialogue in a pine-edged hermitage, delicate brushwork on faces, cool greens and soft browns, a tiny dīpa flame and palm-leaf folios rendered with fine linework, distant blue hills, lyrical stillness and refined gestures of inquiry.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, warm ochres and greens, Kuṃjala with large expressive eyes and stylized hair, Ujjvala in humble posture, a prominent dīpa with radiating aura, tulasī pot with patterned leaves, temple-wall aesthetic with red-yellow-green dominance.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional teaching scene framed by lotus and creeper borders, tulasī plant emphasized with ornate floral motifs, deep blue background with gold highlights, subtle inclusion of Viṣṇu symbols (śaṅkha-cakra) in the border medallions, intricate textile-like detailing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","night insects","gentle lamp crackle","distant flowing water"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पश्चात् + ध्यानव्रतम् → पश्चाद्ध्यानव्रतम् (द् + ध्); शतम् + इह + एव → शतमिहैव.
FAQs
Ujjvala asks a father-figure to teach (1) supreme knowledge, and then (2) a meritorious vow centered on meditation, along with (3) a set of one hundred sacred names.
It points to both: “paraṃ jñānam” signals a jñāna-oriented teaching, while “nāmnāṃ śatam” suggests a devotional name-recitation tradition often associated with bhakti.
Reverent inquiry and disciplined learning—requesting instruction respectfully (“tāta”) and seeking a structured path (knowledge, then vow/practice, then sacred names).