Shloka 13
Brahmā’s Discourse to Mohinī
Harivāsara, Desire, and the Satya-Test of Rukmāṅgada
वधूं वा भ्रातृजायां वा गुरोभार्यां नृपस्त्रियम् । स याति नरकं घोरं संचिंत्य श्वपचीमपि ॥ १३ ॥
vadhūṃ vā bhrātṛjāyāṃ vā gurobhāryāṃ nṛpastriyam | sa yāti narakaṃ ghoraṃ saṃciṃtya śvapacīmapi || 13 ||
Whoever even mentally entertains desire for a daughter-in-law, a brother’s wife, the wife of one’s teacher, or the wife of a king—he goes to a dreadful hell, even if he merely thinks of a woman of the lowest outcaste.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It teaches that dharma begins in the mind: even entertaining illicit desire toward protected women is treated as grave pāpa, leading to severe karmic consequences.
By insisting on inner purity and restraint, it supports bhakti as a disciplined life where the mind is guarded, making the heart fit for steady remembrance of Viṣṇu.
Vyākaraṇa-style precision in categories (vadhū, bhrātṛjāyā, gurobhāryā, nṛpastrī) reinforces dharma-śāstra classification: identifying rakṣitā-strī (protected women) and the rule that even manasa-saṅkalpa (mental intent) carries karmic weight.