Shloka 126
The Five Great Sacrifices: Supremacy of Honoring Parents, Pativrata Dharma, Truthfulness, and Śrāddha
सर्वं व्यर्थमहं मन्ये जनानां च प्रवादतः । अद्य वह्निमहं यास्ये प्रपश्यंतु नरास्सुराः
sarvaṃ vyarthamahaṃ manye janānāṃ ca pravādataḥ | adya vahnimahaṃ yāsye prapaśyaṃtu narāssurāḥ
أرى كلَّ شيءٍ باطلاً بسبب أقوال الناس المُفتَرية. اليوم سأدخل النار—فليشهد ذلك البشرُ والآلهةُ (الدِّيفا).
Unspecified (a distressed speaker declaring intent to enter fire; context needed from surrounding verses to name the character)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Sandhi Resolution Notes: vyartham-aham = vyartham + aham; vahnim-aham = vahnim + aham; narās-surāḥ = narāḥ + surāḥ (visarga sandhi).
FAQs
The speaker expresses despair and humiliation caused by public slander, leading to a drastic vow to enter fire as a public demonstration.
No. The verse depicts an extreme reaction within a narrative setting. Purāṇic literature commonly uses dramatic vows (like entering fire) to highlight social pressures, truth-testing motifs, or the consequences of defamation, not as a general ethical prescription.
It warns about the destructive power of rumor and slander (pravāda) and how social speech can push individuals toward harmful decisions—implying the need for restraint, fairness, and compassion in public judgment.