Vamana Purana — Harihara Revelation, Shloka 4

Harihara Revelation and the Kurukshetra Tirtha Cycle: Sthanu in Vishnu and the Sanctification of Saptasarasvata

Devanagari script

भयदं सर्वसत्त्वानां भवभूति विनाशनम् भ्रंशनं निजधर्माणां चतुर्थं नरकं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

bhayadaṃ sarvasattvānāṃ bhavabhūti vināśanam bhraṃśanaṃ nijadharmāṇāṃ caturthaṃ narakaṃ smṛtam

Translation

一切の生きとし生けるものに恐怖を与え、世の繁栄を滅し、自己のダルマ（法・本分）から堕落させるもの——これが「第四の地獄」と説かれる。

Word by Word

• bhayadam: fear-giving
• bhayadam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhaya + da (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (भयं ददाति इति)

• sarvasattvānām: of all beings
• sarvasattvānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + sattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वे सत्त्वाः)

• bhavabhūti-vināśanam: destruction of prosperity/existence
• bhavabhūti-vināśanam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject, coordinated)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhava + bhūti + vināśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (भवभूतेः विनाशनम् = destruction of prosperity/existence)

• bhraṃśanam: ruin; downfall
• bhraṃśanam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject, coordinated)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhraṃś (धातु) + ana (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भाववाचक कृदन्त (भ्रंशनम् = causing to fall/ruin)

• nijadharmāṇām: of one’s own duties
• nijadharmāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nija + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (निजाः धर्माः)

• caturtham: fourth
• caturtham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक विशेषण

• narakam: hell
• narakam: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• smṛtam: is said
• smṛtam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि (is said)

Speakers

• Unspecified in the provided excerpt (didactic narration within Adhyaya 35).

Key Themes

• Non-violence and social safety
• Svadharma / nija-dharma
• Loss of prosperity through adharma
• Karmic consequence (Naraka)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What kinds of actions are implied by ‘fear-giving to all beings’?

It broadly indicates conduct that terrorizes others—systematic cruelty, oppression, predation, and intimidation. The verse frames such behavior as socially corrosive and spiritually ruinous, leading to both worldly decline (bhūti-vināśa) and ethical collapse (dharma-bhraṃśa).

How does the verse connect adharma with ‘destruction of prosperity’ (bhūti)?

Purāṇic dharma teaching often links prosperity to righteous conduct and social trust. Fear-based wrongdoing undermines community stability and invites karmic retribution, portrayed here as the loss of fortune and well-being in this life and beyond.

Is ‘nija-dharma’ the same as varṇa-āśrama duties?

It can include varṇa-āśrama obligations, but the phrase is wider: it also covers one’s personal ethical commitments—truthfulness, restraint, protection of dependents, and duties arising from one’s role (king, householder, teacher, etc.).