Vamana Purana — Karmic Causes of Narakas, Shloka 49
Karmic Causes of Narakas and the Irremediability of Ingratitude (Kṛtaghna-doṣa)
तेजस्विनां यद्वदिहार्क उक्तो ऋक्षेषु चन्द्रो जलधिर्ह्वदेषु भवान् यथा राक्षससत्तमेषु पाशेषु नागस्तिमितेषु बन्धः
tejasvināṃ yadvadihārka ukto ṛkṣeṣu candro jaladhirhvadeṣu bhavān yathā rākṣasasattameṣu pāśeṣu nāgastimiteṣu bandhaḥ
De même qu’entre les êtres lumineux le Soleil est proclamé ici suprême; qu’entre les constellations la Lune l’emporte; et qu’entre les étendues d’eau l’océan est le plus vaste. De même que tu es le plus haut parmi les meilleurs Rākṣasa; qu’entre les liens (pāśa) le Nāga, le serpent, est le premier; et qu’entre ce qui demeure immobile, la servitude de l’attache (bandha) prédomine.
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FAQs
The verse uses ranked exemplars to teach discernment (viveka): within any domain there is a ‘principal’ that sets the standard; the listener is urged to recognize what is truly primary in a given sphere.
It is rhetorical/didactic praise rather than sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita proper; it likely serves as an introductory or transitional stuti within the chapter’s instruction.
Sun/Moon/ocean symbolize unsurpassed centrality in their respective systems; the final ‘bandha’ image hints that bondage is the defining feature of inert existence—implicitly motivating the pursuit of liberating knowledge aligned with higher authority.