Padma Purana — Srishti Khanda, Shloka 172
The Five Great Sacrifices: Supremacy of Honoring Parents, Pativrata Dharma, Truthfulness, and Śrāddha
तस्मात्त्वं पितरौ गच्छ कुरु पूजां प्रयत्नतः । ततस्त्वं हितयोरेव प्रसादान्मत्पदं व्रज
tasmāttvaṃ pitarau gaccha kuru pūjāṃ prayatnataḥ | tatastvaṃ hitayoreva prasādānmatpadaṃ vraja
Vì vậy, hãy đến với cha mẹ và hết lòng thờ kính phụng sự. Rồi nhờ ân phúc của hai bậc ân nhân ấy, con sẽ đạt đến thánh cảnh của Ta.
Unspecified (context-dependent admonition within the narrative)
Concept: Worship of parents with sincere effort yields their grace, which becomes a means to attain the Lord’s abode.
Application: Make service tangible: daily acts (care, respectful speech, financial support, time) offered as worship; cultivate gratitude as a spiritual discipline.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The seeker walks toward his parents with offerings—water for their feet, flowers, and a respectful bow—while behind them a subtle vision of Vaikuṇṭha opens like a luminous doorway, implying that the path to the Lord runs through gratitude and service. The parents’ faces soften, and the air becomes calm, as if the household itself turns into a sanctuary.","primary_figures":["son (dvija)","mother","father","Vishnu (as a distant luminous presence or symbolic Vaikuṇṭha gate)"],"setting":"Āśrama-home threshold transforming into a sacred passage; ritual tray with pādya/arghya, incense, and lamps.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["warm gold","lotus pink","turmeric yellow","peacock blue","sandalwood beige"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: the youth offering pādya and garlands to seated parents with gold leaf halos; behind them a stylized Vaikuṇṭha arch with Vishnu’s emblematic śaṅkha-cakra motifs; rich reds and greens, ornate jewelry, gem-studded borders, devotional symmetry and radiance.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: tender domestic reconciliation—parents’ expressions melting into blessing; a faint celestial glow in the sky suggesting Vaikuṇṭha; delicate textiles, soft dawn light, lyrical trees and a small shrine corner; refined faces and gentle gestures.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: frontal blessing scene—parents with raised hands in āśīrvāda, the youth in añjali; a luminous doorway motif with conch and discus symbols; bold outlines, natural pigments, dominant yellows/reds/greens, temple-wall compositional balance.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate floral border with lotus and tulasi motifs; central scene of filial worship; above, a Vaikuṇṭha medallion with Vishnu symbols and flying garlands; deep blues with gold highlights, intricate patterning, devotional calm."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["temple bells","soft conch","incense crackle","morning birds","gentle tanpura drone"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तस्मात्त्वं = तस्मात् + त्वम्; ततस्त्वं = ततः + त्वम्; प्रसादान्मत्पदं = प्रसादात् + मत् + पदम् (मत्पदम् = मत् + पदम्).
FAQs
It teaches that honoring and serving one’s parents (pitṛ-sevā) is a primary duty (dharma) and a powerful spiritual practice.
It presents parental reverence as a direct cause for divine grace, through which one attains the Lord’s “abode” (mat-pada), i.e., the highest spiritual goal.
The phrase refers to the two parents—mother and father—described as natural well-wishers whose blessing (prasāda) supports one’s spiritual progress.