Mohinī-ākhyāna: The Trial of Ekādaśī and the King’s Satya-saṅkalpa
कृत्वैव वांतिं पुनरत्ति तां यस्तद्वत्प्रतिज्ञाव्रतभङ्गकारी । वेदा न शास्त्रं न च तत्पुराणं न चापि सन्तः स्मृतयो न च स्युः ॥ ३३ ॥
kṛtvaiva vāṃtiṃ punaratti tāṃ yastadvatpratijñāvratabhaṅgakārī | vedā na śāstraṃ na ca tatpurāṇaṃ na cāpi santaḥ smṛtayo na ca syuḥ || 33 ||
One who, after vomiting, eats that very vomit again—such is the vow-breaker who violates his pledge and observance. For such a person, it is as though the Vedas do not exist, nor the Śāstras, nor the Purāṇas; nor do the righteous, nor even the Smṛtis exist as guiding authorities.
Narada (teaching on vrata-dharma; traditional dialogue context with Sanatkumara lineage)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: raudra
It equates breaking a sacred vow with a revolting self-reversal, teaching that spiritual life depends on integrity (satya) and steadiness in observances (vrata).
Bhakti is sustained by trust and discipline; violating one’s pledged observance undermines inner purity and reliability before Bhagavan, making scriptural guidance ineffective in practice.
It highlights Dharma-śāstra style discipline: the practical rule that vows (vrata) and pledges (pratijñā) must be protected, otherwise scriptural study becomes fruitless as lived conduct contradicts it.