Vamana Purana — Akhanda Ekadashi Vrata, Shloka 48
Akhaṇḍa-Ekādaśī Vrata and the Vaiṣṇava Protective Hymn; Prelude to the Kātyāyanī–Mahiṣāsura Narrative
उक्तश्च मा दैत्यवर नाशयात्मानमात्मना दुस्तरा परवध्यापि स्ववध्याप्यतिदुस्तरा
uktaśca mā daityavara nāśayātmānamātmanā dustarā paravadhyāpi svavadhyāpyatidustarā
और उससे कहा गया—‘हे दैत्यश्रेष्ठ, अपने ही हाथों अपने को नष्ट मत करो। मृत्यु दुस्तर है; दूसरे के द्वारा वध भी हो सके, पर आत्मवध तो अत्यन्त दुस्तर और घोर है।’
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FAQs
The passage functions as a direct niṣedha (prohibition): self-destruction is not validated as dharma. The Purāṇic ethic emphasizes endurance, right action, and seeking lawful remedies rather than collapsing into self-harm under emotional turbulence.
Vaṃśānucarita/Carita: moral instruction embedded in narrative. It is not a tirtha-māhātmya, vrata-vidhi, or sectarian synthesis unit in these verses.
‘Slain by another’ versus ‘slain by oneself’ contrasts fate imposed by external karma with the inner rupture of will and dharma. The verse frames suicide as a profound spiritual and psychological ‘ati-dustara’—a perilous crossing that disrupts yajña-order rather than fulfilling it.