Shloka 24
नरक-निर्णयः, पाप-कर्म-फल-व्यवस्था, प्रायश्चित्त-क्रमः, तथा हरि-स्मरण-परमत्वम्
मधुहा ग्रामहन्ता च याति वैतरणीं नरः
madhuhā grāmahantā ca yāti vaitaraṇīṃ naraḥ
He who destroys honey (and its sources), and he who devastates a village—such a person is made to pass into the Vaitaraṇī.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Which acts lead to which narakas; ecological and social harms as sin
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: stern
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)
Concept: Destroying honey sources (injuring life-sustaining ecology) and devastating human settlements incur karmic punishment symbolized by the Vaitaraṇī crossing.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Practice non-violence toward ecosystems and communities; protect pollinators, forests, and social welfare as dharmic duty.
Vishishtadvaita: Beings and nature are modes of the Lord; harming them violates one’s duty within His cosmic body.
FAQs
In this verse, Vaitaraṇī functions as a punitive passage associated with severe wrongdoing, marking the soul’s encounter with karmic retribution for destructive acts.
By pairing “destroying honey” with “destroying a village,” Parāśara frames both ecological devastation and social violence as grave adharma that leads to harsh afterlife consequences.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the line, the Purana’s ethic assumes a Vishnu-governed cosmos where dharma is upheld and karma unfailingly yields results, reinforcing divine sovereignty over moral order.