Vamana Purana — Karmic Causes of Narakas, Shloka 39

Karmic Causes of Narakas and the Irremediability of Ingratitude (Kṛtaghna-doṣa)

Devanagari script

एत नरा द्विजा ये च गोषु विक्रयिणस्तथा सोमविक्रयिणो ये च वेदविक्रयिणस्तथा

Transliteration

eta narā dvijā ye ca goṣu vikrayiṇastathā somavikrayiṇo ye ca vedavikrayiṇastathā

Translation

またそれらの人々—二度生まれ（dvija）であっても—牛を売る者、ソーマ（Soma）を売る者、さらにヴェーダ（Veda）を売る者も同様に、（文脈の続きに従い）罪に定められる。

Word by Word

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative plural

• narāḥ: men
• narāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject, appositional)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative plural

• dvijāḥ: twice-born (brāhmaṇas etc.)
• dvijāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject, appositional)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative plural

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (कर्ता/relative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative plural

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, conjunction

• goṣu: in/among cows; regarding cows
• goṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/domain)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (गो-शब्दः स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी) plural

• vikrayiṇaḥ: sellers
• vikrayiṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vikrayin (प्रातिपदिक; from vi + √krī ‘to sell’)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative plural

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb

• soma-vikrayiṇaḥ: sellers of soma
• soma-vikrayiṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma (प्रातिपदिक) + vikrayin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa, Masculine, Nominative plural

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (कर्ता/relative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative plural

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, conjunction

• veda-vikrayiṇaḥ: sellers of the Veda
• veda-vikrayiṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + vikrayin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa, Masculine, Nominative plural

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb

Speakers

• Not explicit in the provided excerpt (often Pulastya → Nārada frame)

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Sacral economy
• Misuse of priestly status
• Protection of Vedic knowledge
• Naraka (hells)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The text criticizes turning sacred, life-sustaining or revelation-based realities into commodities: cows (nourishment and dharmic wealth), Soma (ritual sanctity), and the Veda (knowledge meant for transmission, not trade). The warning is especially pointed when the offenders are dvijas, because social authority without integrity magnifies harm.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is dharma-śikṣā (moral instruction) embedded in purāṇic narration rather than pancalakṣaṇa proper. It supports the Purāṇa’s broader function of guiding right conduct alongside mythic history.

What is the symbolic significance?

Selling cows/Soma/Veda symbolizes the ‘marketization’ of dharma: when nourishment, sacrifice, and wisdom are priced as mere goods, the sacramental order is inverted. The verse encodes the idea that some values must remain beyond commerce to preserve cosmic and social balance (ṛta/dharma).