Vamana Purana — Jabali on the Banyan Tree, Shloka 14
Jabali Bound on the Banyan Tree and Nandayanti’s Appeal at Sri-Kantha on the Yamuna
भवानपि तपोयुक्तः शास्त्रवेत्ता गुणाप्लुतः नेदृशे पापसंकल्पे मतिं कुर्याद् भवद्विधः
bhavānapi tapoyuktaḥ śāstravettā guṇāplutaḥ nedṛśe pāpasaṃkalpe matiṃ kuryād bhavadvidhaḥ
Toi aussi, tu es pourvu d’austérité (tapas), connaisseur des śāstra et comblé de vertus ; un être tel que toi ne devrait pas porter son esprit vers une intention si pécheresse.
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FAQs
Purāṇic ethics often treat saṃkalpa (inner resolve) as causally potent: intention shapes karma and future action. The verse warns that moral failure begins in the mind before it manifests outwardly.
They are presented as credentials and safeguards: austerity disciplines desire, and śāstra-knowledge clarifies right conduct. The rebuke is sharper because the addressee already possesses both.
It frames the addressee as fundamentally capable of dharmic conduct, implying that the contemplated wrongdoing is a deviation from their established character and therefore avoidable.