Vamana Purana — Narada Questions Pulastya, Shloka 21
Narada Questions Pulastya: The Vamana Purana Begins and Satī’s Monsoon Lament
उद्वत्त्वेगाः सहसैव निम्नगा जाताः शशङ्काङ्कितचारुमैले किमत्र चित्रं यदनुज्ज्वलं जनं निषेव्य योषिद् भवति त्वशीला
udvattvegāḥ sahasaiva nimnagā jātāḥ śaśaṅkāṅkitacārumaile kimatra citraṃ yadanujjvalaṃ janaṃ niṣevya yoṣid bhavati tvaśīlā
流れの勢いがにわかに増した諸河は、麗しい黒き水面に月光の印を受けて、いよいよ魅力を帯びた。ならば、冴えぬ無名の者に交わる女が、素行を乱すのも何の不思議があろうか。
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FAQs
Conduct is shaped by company: association with the ‘unillustrious’ (anujjvala) is presented as a predictable cause of moral decline. The verse reinforces the dharma-śāstric emphasis on sat-saṅga (keeping noble company).
This is a nīti (ethical) interpolation within narration, not a direct pañcalakṣaṇa unit. It functions as Purāṇic upadeśa (instruction) accompanying descriptive passages.
The swollen river suggests how external conditions can rapidly alter a thing’s ‘behavior’ (flow/force). The moral analogy argues that human character likewise shifts under environmental influence—especially social proximity (saṅga).