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
輝けるものの中では、この世において太陽が至上と宣言され、星宿の中では月が勝れ、湖沼の中では大海が最たる。さらに、汝は最上の羅刹（Rākṣasa）の中で最勝である。パーシャ（pāśa、縄・罠）の中ではナーガ（Nāga、蛇）が第一であり、動かぬものの中では束縛（bandha）が最も顕著である。
{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
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.