Vamana Purana — Harihara Revelation, Shloka 21

Harihara Revelation and the Kurukshetra Tirtha Cycle: Sthanu in Vishnu and the Sanctification of Saptasarasvata

Devanagari script

ऋमं देवर्षिभूतानां मनुष्याणां विशेषतः पितृणां च द्विजश्रेष्ठ सर्वर्वणेषु चैकता

Transliteration

ṛmaṃ devarṣibhūtānāṃ manuṣyāṇāṃ viśeṣataḥ pitṛṇāṃ ca dvijaśreṣṭha sarvarvaṇeṣu caikatā

Translation

Voici la « dette » ou obligation (ṛṇa) due aux dieux, aux voyants (ṛṣi) et aux êtres—et tout particulièrement aux humains—ainsi qu’aux ancêtres, ô le meilleur des deux‑fois‑nés. Dans toutes les varṇa, il existe un seul principe commun concernant cette obligation.

Speakers

• Not specified in input (likely a sage addressing a dvija interlocutor within a dharma discourse).

Key Themes

• Ṛṇa (three/fivefold debts)
• Dharma as universal obligation across varṇas
• Pitṛ-yajña / ancestor duty
• Social ethics

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What “debts” (ṛṇa) are being referenced here?

The verse gestures to the classical doctrine of obligations: duties owed to devas (through yajña/offerings), to ṛṣis (through study and preservation of sacred knowledge), to pitṛs (through śrāddha and lineage duties), and broadly to living beings and humans (through non-harm, charity, and social responsibility).

Why does the verse stress “especially to human beings”?

It highlights interpersonal dharma—truthfulness, non-injury, generosity, and social reciprocity—as a particularly immediate and ethically weighty sphere of obligation, even while ritual debts to devas/ṛṣis/pitṛs remain important.

What does “oneness in all varṇas” imply?

It indicates that the core principle of moral obligation is not exclusive to one class: while specific rites may vary by varṇa, the foundational duty to repay obligations (through right conduct and prescribed acts) is shared.