Shloka 24
नरक-निर्णयः, पाप-कर्म-फल-व्यवस्था, प्रायश्चित्त-क्रमः, तथा हरि-स्मरण-परमत्वम्
मधुहा ग्रामहन्ता च याति वैतरणीं नरः
madhuhā grāmahantā ca yāti vaitaraṇīṃ naraḥ
जो मधु (और उसके आश्रयों) का नाश करता है, और जो ग्राम का विनाश करता है—ऐसा नर वैतरणी में प्रविष्ट कराया जाता है।
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Which acts lead to which narakas; ecological and social harms as sin
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: stern
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)
Concept: Destroying honey sources (injuring life-sustaining ecology) and devastating human settlements incur karmic punishment symbolized by the Vaitaraṇī crossing.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Practice non-violence toward ecosystems and communities; protect pollinators, forests, and social welfare as dharmic duty.
Vishishtadvaita: Beings and nature are modes of the Lord; harming them violates one’s duty within His cosmic body.
FAQs
In this verse, Vaitaraṇī functions as a punitive passage associated with severe wrongdoing, marking the soul’s encounter with karmic retribution for destructive acts.
By pairing “destroying honey” with “destroying a village,” Parāśara frames both ecological devastation and social violence as grave adharma that leads to harsh afterlife consequences.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the line, the Purana’s ethic assumes a Vishnu-governed cosmos where dharma is upheld and karma unfailingly yields results, reinforcing divine sovereignty over moral order.