Shloka 10
अध्याय १९० — वामदेव-वाम्य-वृत्तान्तः
The Vāmadeva Horses Episode and the Ethics of Promise
यजन्ते मां तथा वैश्या: स्वर्गलोकजिगीषया । चतुःसमुद्रपर्यन्तां मेरुमन्दर भूषणाम्
yajante māṃ tathā vaiśyāḥ svargalokajigīṣayā | catuḥsamudraparyantāṃ merumandara-bhūṣaṇām ||
Die Gottheit sprach: „So verehren auch die Vaiśyas Mich, getrieben vom Wunsch, die Himmelswelt zu erringen. (Sie begehren) ein Reich, von den vier Ozeanen umgrenzt, geschmückt mit Meru und Mandara“ — eine Vision von Wohlstand und kosmischer Pracht, die zeigt, dass Hingabe oft vom Streben nach Lohn bewegt ist, nicht von reiner Entsagung.
देव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that worship and sacrifice are often performed with specific aims—here, attaining Svarga and an expansive, prosperous dominion. It implicitly contrasts desire-driven religiosity (seeking rewards) with higher motives such as duty performed without attachment.
A divine speaker is describing how different groups approach worship. In this line, the Vaiśyas are said to worship with the ambition of gaining heaven and a vast, ocean-bounded realm ornamented by the great cosmic mountains Meru and Mandara.