Shloka 19

नरक-निर्णयः, पाप-कर्म-फल-व्यवस्था, प्रायश्चित्त-क्रमः, तथा हरि-स्मरण-परमत्वम्

Devanagari script

वेगी पूयवहं चैको याति मिष्टान्नभुङ् नरः

Transliteration

vegī pūyavahaṃ caiko yāti miṣṭānnabhuṅ naraḥ

Translation

One who eats delicacies alone without sharing swiftly goes to Pūyavaha, the foul-flowing hell, for denying the sacred share to others.

Word by Word

• वेगी: one who is swift / impetuous
• वेगी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पूयवहम्: (to) Pūyavaha (a hell/river carrying pus)
• पूयवहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूय + वह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पूयं वहतीति)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एकः: one (person)
• एकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• मिष्टान्नभुक्: eater of sweet food
• मिष्टान्नभुक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मिष्ट + अन्न + भुज् (धातु; कृत्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कृत्-प्रत्ययान्त (भुज् + क्विप्/क् = भुक् ‘eater’); समासः—तत्पुरुष (मिष्टान्नं भुङ्क्ते इति)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Consequences of selfish consumption and failure to share food as dharma

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Food is a sacred trust meant for sharing (atithi, dependents, beings); solitary indulgence that withholds rightful portions yields a corresponding impure destiny.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice annadāna and mindful eating—set aside a share for others (people, animals, guests) and cultivate gratitude before consumption.

Vishishtadvaita: As the world is the Lord’s body (śarīra), serving beings through sharing sustenance becomes indirect service to Him; selfish consumption violates this relational dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Naraka (Pūyavaha)

FAQs

What is the significance of Pūyavaha in the Vishnu Purana?

Pūyavaha is presented as a punitive realm (naraka) illustrating how specific moral failures—here, indulgent, self-centered eating—ripen into concrete karmic consequences.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the karmic fault implied by ‘miṣṭānnabhuṅ’?

In this naraka-catalog context, Parāśara frames it as eating choice foods in a self-serving way—treating nourishment as mere pleasure rather than a dharmic act that includes sharing, restraint, and reverence.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching assumes a Vishnu-governed moral cosmos: dharma is upheld, karma bears fruit, and the universe’s order ultimately rests on the Supreme Reality who sustains law and consequence.