Vamana Purana — Karmic Causes of Narakas, Shloka 55
Karmic Causes of Narakas and the Irremediability of Ingratitude (Kṛtaghna-doṣa)
यथा सतीनां हिमवत्सुता हि यथार्जुनीनां कपिला वरिष्ठा यथा वृषाणामपि नीलवर्णो यथैव सर्वेष्वपि दुःसहेषु दुर्गेषु रौद्रेषु निशाचरेश नृपातनं वैतरणी प्रधाना
yathā satīnāṃ himavatsutā hi yathārjunīnāṃ kapilā variṣṭhā yathā vṛṣāṇāmapi nīlavarṇo yathaiva sarveṣvapi duḥsaheṣu durgeṣu raudreṣu niśācareśa nṛpātanaṃ vaitaraṇī pradhānā
«Así como la hija de Himavat, Pārvatī, es la más eminente entre las mujeres virtuosas; así como Kapilā es la más eminente entre las Arjunī (una clase o estirpe); así como el toro de color azul es el más eminente entre los toros—del mismo modo, oh señor de los caminantes nocturnos, entre todos los tránsitos temibles, difíciles de soportar, feroces y peligrosos, la Vaitaraṇī es la preeminente, llamada “derriba-reyes” (nṛpātana).»
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FAQs
The verse uses recognized ‘ideals’ (Pārvatī among satīs; exemplary animals among their kinds) to underscore discernment about what is truly foremost—including recognition of the most formidable obstacles (Vaitaraṇī) that symbolize the gravest trials of embodied existence and moral consequence.
It is not a direct treatment of sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita. It serves as moral-theological amplification (stuti/upadeśa) that can accompany tīrtha-māhātmya or dharma instruction depending on the surrounding chapter.
Himavatsutā represents steadfast dharma and auspicious power; the exemplary animals represent strength and excellence in worldly categories; Vaitaraṇī represents the ultimate ‘crossing’—death/afterlife accountability—thereby shifting the reader from everyday superlatives to existential seriousness.