Padma Purana — Svarga Khanda, Shloka 31
Dharma of the Renunciant: Alms Discipline, Meditation, and Expiations
तेन धारयितव्या वै प्राणायामास्तु षोडश । दिवास्कंदे त्रिरात्रं स्यात्प्राणायामशतं बुधाः
tena dhārayitavyā vai prāṇāyāmāstu ṣoḍaśa | divāskaṃde trirātraṃ syātprāṇāyāmaśataṃ budhāḥ
Vì vậy, quả thật nên thực hành mười sáu lần prāṇāyāma (điều tức). Vào thời Divāskanda, trong ba đêm, các bậc hiền trí quy định một trăm lần prāṇāyāma.
Unspecified (context-dependent narrator/instructor within Svargakhaṇḍa)
Concept: Prāṇāyāma is prescribed in specific counts and intensified over a three-night period to purify and stabilize the practitioner.
Application: Adopt measured breath practice (within one’s capacity and guidance), using consistent counts and short observances to reset the nervous system and attention.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A disciplined ascetic sits in padmāsana beside a small sacred fire, counting breaths with a mālā as the air around him subtly ripples. Over three nights, the sky shifts from dusk to star-filled midnight to pre-dawn, suggesting the prescribed intensification and the quiet power of regulated prāṇa.","primary_figures":["ascetic practitioner (yati)"],"setting":"forest hermitage with yajña-kuṇḍa, kusa mat, starry sky, minimal ritual implements","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["midnight blue","ember orange","ash white","copper brown","star silver"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: seated yogic ascetic in padmāsana with japa-mālā, a small glowing homa fire, stylized waves of prāṇa shown as gold-leaf filigree around the torso; rich red backdrop, ornate border with lotus and chakra motifs, luminous highlights on fire and beads.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: tranquil night hermitage with delicate stars, the yogin counting breaths, thin smoke from a tiny fire; cool blues and soft browns, refined facial calm, lyrical trees framing the scene.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, simplified yogin posture, symbolic breath-streams as curved bands, fire rendered in flat orange-red; temple-wall symmetry, strong indigo and ochre palette.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central yogin framed by concentric lotus rings suggesting breath cycles; border includes crescent moons and stars for the three-night observance; deep blue cloth with gold and white detailing, subtle Vishnu symbols (conch, discus) in corners."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["crackling fire","night wind","distant owl","soft bell at intervals"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: prāṇāyāmāstu = prāṇāyāmāḥ + tu; syātprāṇāyāmaśatam = syāt + prāṇāyāma-śatam.
FAQs
It prescribes a disciplined regimen of prāṇāyāma: generally sixteen rounds, and specifically (during the Divāskanda observance) one hundred rounds over a three-night period.
Enumerated prāṇāyāmas function as a measurable form of tapas (austerity) and mental purification, supporting steadiness of mind and ritual focus during a vrata or sacred observance.
The verse emphasizes disciplined, time-bound practice—spiritual progress is framed as consistent effort guided by learned tradition rather than impulse.