Vamana Purana — Narada Questions Pulastya, Shloka 21
Narada Questions Pulastya: The Vamana Purana Begins and Satī’s Monsoon Lament
उद्वत्त्वेगाः सहसैव निम्नगा जाताः शशङ्काङ्कितचारुमैले किमत्र चित्रं यदनुज्ज्वलं जनं निषेव्य योषिद् भवति त्वशीला
udvattvegāḥ sahasaiva nimnagā jātāḥ śaśaṅkāṅkitacārumaile kimatra citraṃ yadanujjvalaṃ janaṃ niṣevya yoṣid bhavati tvaśīlā
The rivers, with their currents suddenly swollen, have become charming—marked by the moon (i.e., moonlight) upon their lovely dark surface. What wonder is there that a woman, associating with a dull (unillustrious) person, becomes ill-conducted?
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FAQs
Conduct is shaped by company: association with the ‘unillustrious’ (anujjvala) is presented as a predictable cause of moral decline. The verse reinforces the dharma-śāstric emphasis on sat-saṅga (keeping noble company).
This is a nīti (ethical) interpolation within narration, not a direct pañcalakṣaṇa unit. It functions as Purāṇic upadeśa (instruction) accompanying descriptive passages.
The swollen river suggests how external conditions can rapidly alter a thing’s ‘behavior’ (flow/force). The moral analogy argues that human character likewise shifts under environmental influence—especially social proximity (saṅga).