Vamana Purana — Sukesha's Boon & Twelve Dharmas, Shloka 27

Sukesha’s Boon, the Twelve Dharmas of Beings, and the Cosmography of the Seven Dvipas with the Twenty-One Hells

Devanagari script

अविवेकमथाज्ञानं शौचहानिरसत्यता पिशाचानामयं धर्मः सदा चामिषगृध्नुता

Transliteration

avivekamathājñānaṃ śaucahānirasatyatā piśācānāmayaṃ dharmaḥ sadā cāmiṣagṛdhnutā

Translation

Mangel an Unterscheidungsvermögen, Unwissenheit, Verlust der Reinheit und Unwahrhaftigkeit—dies ist das Dharma (der charakteristische Verhaltenskodex) der Piśācas; und stets die Gier nach Fleisch.

Word by Word

• अविवेकम्: lack of discernment
• अविवेकम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविवेक (प्रातिपदिक; a-viveka)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• अथ: and/then
• अथ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (particle: then/and)

• अज्ञानम्: ignorance
• अज्ञानम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक; a-jñāna)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• शौचहानिः: loss of purity/cleanliness
• शौचहानिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शौच-हानि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• असत्यता: untruthfulness
• असत्यता: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असत्यता (प्रातिपदिक; a-satya-tā)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• पिशाचानाम्: of the piśācas
• पिशाचानाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिशाच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Plural)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Visheshya (विशेष्य/subject demonstrative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; pronoun)

• धर्मः: dharma/nature
• धर्मः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time: always)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction: and)

• आमिषगृध्नुता: greed for flesh/meat
• आमिषगृध्नुता: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आमिष-गृध्नुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

Speakers

• Not stated in the provided excerpt (likely Pulastya → Nārada in the wider frame; verify from context).

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Ethics
• Purity (śauca)
• Truthfulness (satya)
• Mythic beings (Piśāca)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Ethical collapse is mapped as a chain: loss of discernment → ignorance → impurity → untruth, culminating in compulsive craving. The verse frames moral life as rooted in viveka (discernment) and śauca (purity), without which appetite dominates.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Like the prior verses, it is auxiliary dharma-instruction rather than sarga/pratisarga. It supports purāṇic teaching by contrasting conduct-types and implicitly recommending viveka, śauca, and satya as universal virtues.

What is the symbolic significance?

Piśācas symbolize the mind trapped in tamas: confusion, impurity, falsehood, and compulsive consumption. The “flesh-craving” motif functions as a concrete emblem for unchecked appetite and the degradation of consciousness.