Vamana Purana — Karmic Causes of Narakas, Shloka 35
Karmic Causes of Narakas and the Irremediability of Ingratitude (Kṛtaghna-doṣa)
पुनर्भूपतयो ये च कन्याविध्वंसकाश्च ये तद्गर्भश्राद्धभुग् यश्च कृमीन्भक्षेत्पिपीलिकाः
punarbhūpatayo ye ca kanyāvidhvaṃsakāśca ye tadgarbhaśrāddhabhug yaśca kṛmīnbhakṣetpipīlikāḥ
Celui qui reprend une femme (comme punarbhū), celui qui outrage les vierges, et celui qui consomme le śrāddha (offrande/repas rituel) lié à sa grossesse—devient un mangeur de vers et de fourmis.
{ "primaryRasa": "bibhatsa", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The verse warns that harming sexual integrity (especially of a maiden) and violating ritual boundaries around śrāddha are not merely social faults but deep adharmic acts with degrading consequences. It reinforces restraint (saṃyama) and reverence for rites tied to ancestry and life-cycle sanctity.
This is dharma-śāstra-like instruction embedded in Purāṇic discourse—normative ethics and ritual correctness rather than the five hallmark topics (sarga etc.). It functions as ancillary dharma teaching within the Purāṇa.
The image of eating worms and ants symbolizes moral degradation and the reversal of human dignity: one who exploits purity/innocence or pollutes ancestral rites is depicted as falling into a base, scavenging mode of existence.