Vamana Purana — Karmic Causes of Narakas, Shloka 47
Karmic Causes of Narakas and the Irremediability of Ingratitude (Kṛtaghna-doṣa)
यथाश्वमेधः प्रवरः क्रतूनां पुत्रो यथा स्पर्शवतां वरिष्ठः तपोधनानामपि सुम्भयोनिः श्रुतिर्वरा यद्वदिहागमेषु
yathāśvamedhaḥ pravaraḥ kratūnāṃ putro yathā sparśavatāṃ variṣṭhaḥ tapodhanānāmapi sumbhayoniḥ śrutirvarā yadvadihāgameṣu
Just as the Aśvamedha is the foremost among sacrifices, and a son is the best among those who are ‘tangible’ (objects of touch); just as (a great sage) born in the Sumbha-line is pre-eminent even among the wealthy in austerity—so too, among the Āgamas, Śruti is the most excellent.
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FAQs
The verse teaches a hierarchy of authorities: as eminent exemplars exist in ritual and social life, so too Śruti (the Veda) is presented as the highest standard among scriptural sources, implying that later traditions should align with it.
This functions as ancillary didactic material (śāstra-stuti/śruti-prādhānya) rather than a direct pañcalakṣaṇa item; it supports dharma and pramāṇa-discussion that commonly frames Purāṇic instruction.
By stacking ‘best-of’ analogies (Aśvamedha, son, eminent tapasvin), the text symbolically anchors Purāṇic/Āgamic teaching in Vedic revelation, asserting continuity rather than sectarian innovation.