Vamana Purana — Ritadhvaja Aids Galava, Shloka 26
Ritadhvaja’s Aid to Galava and Andhaka’s Infatuation with Gauri
मा कुरुष्व सुदुर्बुद्धिं सद्यः कुलविनाशिनीम् भवतः परदारोयं मा निमज्ज रसातले
mā kuruṣva sudurbuddhiṃ sadyaḥ kulavināśinīm bhavataḥ paradāroyaṃ mā nimajja rasātale
لا ترتكب هذا الفعل من الحمق الفادح—فهو يُهلك السلالة في الحال. هذه المرأة زوجةُ غيرك؛ فلا تغرق في رَساطَلا (Rasātala).
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FAQs
Both readings operate: literally, Rasātala is a netherworld in Purāṇic cosmology; rhetorically, ‘sinking into Rasātala’ signifies catastrophic moral and social downfall resulting from grave adharma.
Because it destroys honor, invites retaliation and curse, fractures social order, and in Purāṇic ethics is treated as a root-sin that brings ruin upon one’s family line and political stability.
It frames Andhaka’s desire as not merely personal lust but a dharmic violation against the divine order, justifying the ensuing conflict and his eventual destruction.