Vamana Purana — Harihara Revelation, Shloka 10

Harihara Revelation and the Kurukshetra Tirtha Cycle: Sthanu in Vishnu and the Sanctification of Saptasarasvata

Devanagari script

शिष्टाचारविनाशं च शिष्टद्वेषं शिशोर्वधम् शास्त्रस्तेयं धर्मनाशं दशमं परिकीर्तितम्

Transliteration

śiṣṭācāravināśaṃ ca śiṣṭadveṣaṃ śiśorvadham śāstrasteyaṃ dharmanāśaṃ daśamaṃ parikīrtitam

Translation

Das zehnte (Höllenlos/Vergehen) wird verkündet für: die Zerstörung der überlieferten Lebensführung der Gebildeten (śiṣṭācāra); Hass gegen die Tugendhaften (śiṣṭadveṣa); die Tötung eines Kindes; den Diebstahl der Śāstras (schriftgelehrtes Wissen); und das Herbeiführen des Untergangs des Dharma.

Word by Word

• śiṣṭa-ācāra-vināśam: destruction of good conduct
• śiṣṭa-ācāra-vināśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + ācāra (प्रातिपदिक) + vināśa (प्रातिपदिक; vi+√naś नश्यति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शिष्टानाम् आचारस्य विनाशः)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः

• śiṣṭa-dveṣam: hatred toward the virtuous
• śiṣṭa-dveṣam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + dveṣa (प्रातिपदिक; √dviṣ द्वेष्टि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शिष्टेषु द्वेषः)

• śiśoḥ: of a child
• śiśoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiśu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• vadham: killing, slaughter
• vadham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vadha (प्रातिपदिक; √vadh वधति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• śāstra-steyam: theft of scripture/learning
• śāstra-steyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāstra (प्रातिपदिक) + steya (प्रातिपदिक; √stey/√stai? from √stena/√stey ‘steal’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शास्त्रस्य स्तेयम् = theft of scripture/knowledge)

• dharma-nāśam: destruction of dharma
• dharma-nāśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśa (प्रातिपदिक; √naś नश्यति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य नाशः)

• daśamam: tenth
• daśamam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषणम्

• parikīrtitam: is proclaimed
• parikīrtitam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: parikīrtita (कृदन्त; pari+√kīrt कीर्तयति), कर्मणि भूतकृदन्त
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि—‘is proclaimed’

Speakers

• Unspecified in the provided excerpt (didactic enumeration within Adhyāya 35)

Primary Deities

• Yama (implied)

Key Themes

• Guarding śiṣṭācāra (normative dharma)
• Respect for the virtuous
• Non-violence (especially toward children)
• Integrity of scriptural transmission
• Social-ethical order

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is meant by ‘śiṣṭācāra-vināśa’ in a Purāṇic context?

It denotes active disruption of the normative dharma embodied by ‘śiṣṭas’—teachers, elders, and exemplary householders. This can include sabotaging rites, mocking ethical restraints, corrupting institutions of learning, or promoting practices that erode social trust and ritual continuity.

How can ‘stealing śāstra’ be a sin if knowledge should be shared?

Purāṇic dharma distinguishes generous teaching from illicit appropriation: taking texts/teachings without permission, misrepresenting lineage, plagiarizing, selling what is not one’s to sell, or weaponizing scripture to mislead. The offense targets breach of trust and corruption of transmission, not sincere learning.

Why is ‘killing a child’ singled out?

Śiśu-vadha is treated as especially heinous because it violates the most defenseless life and breaks the continuity of family and society. In dharma literature it is often paired with other ‘order-destroying’ acts (dharma-nāśa), emphasizing its far-reaching karmic and communal consequences.