Shloka 10
अध्याय १९० — वामदेव-वाम्य-वृत्तान्तः
The Vāmadeva Horses Episode and the Ethics of Promise
यजन्ते मां तथा वैश्या: स्वर्गलोकजिगीषया । चतुःसमुद्रपर्यन्तां मेरुमन्दर भूषणाम्
yajante māṃ tathā vaiśyāḥ svargalokajigīṣayā | catuḥsamudraparyantāṃ merumandara-bhūṣaṇām ||
Dijo la Deidad: «Así también los vaiśyas me adoran, movidos por el deseo de conquistar el mundo celestial. (Anhelan) un reino ceñido por los cuatro océanos, adornado con Meru y Mandara»; una visión de prosperidad y grandeza cósmica que muestra cómo la devoción suele estar impulsada por la búsqueda de recompensa más que por la renuncia pura.
देव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that worship and sacrifice are often performed with specific aims—here, attaining Svarga and an expansive, prosperous dominion. It implicitly contrasts desire-driven religiosity (seeking rewards) with higher motives such as duty performed without attachment.
A divine speaker is describing how different groups approach worship. In this line, the Vaiśyas are said to worship with the ambition of gaining heaven and a vast, ocean-bounded realm ornamented by the great cosmic mountains Meru and Mandara.