Vamana Purana — Ritadhvaja Aids Galava, Shloka 29
Ritadhvaja’s Aid to Galava and Andhaka’s Infatuation with Gauri
किञ्चित् त्वया न श्रुतं दैत्यनाथ गीतं श्लोकं गाधिना पार्थिवेन दृष्ट्वा सैन्यं विप्रधेनुप्रसक्तं तथ्यं पथ्यं सर्वलोके हितं च // वम्प्_33.28 वरं प्राणास्त्याज्या न च पिशुनवादेष्वभिरतिः वरं मौनं कार्यं न च वचनमुक्तं यदनृतम् वरं क्लीबैर्भाव्यं न च परकगलत्राभिगमनं वरं भिक्षार्थित्वं न च परधनास्वादमसकृत्
kiñcit tvayā na śrutaṃ daityanātha gītaṃ ślokaṃ gādhinā pārthivena dṛṣṭvā sainyaṃ vipradhenuprasaktaṃ tathyaṃ pathyaṃ sarvaloke hitaṃ ca // VamP_33.28 varaṃ prāṇāstyājyā na ca piśunavādeṣvabhiratiḥ varaṃ maunaṃ kāryaṃ na ca vacanamuktaṃ yadanṛtam varaṃ klībairbhāvyaṃ na ca parakagalatrābhigamanaṃ varaṃ bhikṣārthitvaṃ na ca paradhanāsvādamasakṛt
ໂອ ຈອມເຈົ້າແຫ່ງໄດຕະຍະ, ເຈົ້າບໍ່ໄດ້ຍິນແມ່ນແຕ່ນ້ອຍໜຶ່ງຂອງຄາຖາທີ່ພະຣາຊາ ກາທິ ຂັບຮ້ອງ—ອັນເປັນຄວາມຈິງ ເປັນທາງທີ່ດີ ແລະເປັນປະໂຫຍດແກ່ໂລກທັງປວງ—ເມື່ອພຣະອົງເຫັນກອງທັບຫມົດໃຈຈະຍຶດເອົາງົວຂອງພຣາຫມັນບໍ? «ດີກວ່າສະລະຊີວິດ ກ່ວາຈະພໍໃຈໃນຄຳນິນທາຮ້າຍ. ດີກວ່າປະພຶດຄວາມງຽບ ກ່ວາຈະເວົ້າຄຳບໍ່ຈິງ. ດີກວ່າຖືກເຫັນວ່າອ່ອນແອ ກ່ວາຈະເຂົ້າໄປຫາເມຍຂອງຄົນອື່ນ. ດີກວ່າດຳລົງຊີວິດດ້ວຍການຂໍທານ ກ່ວາຈະລິ້ມລອງຊັບສິນຂອງຄົນອື່ນຊ້ຳໆ.»
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FAQs
Gādhi functions as an authoritative exemplar of royal nīti: a king who recognizes that social order collapses when the vulnerable (brāhmaṇas) and their livelihood (the cow) are violated. ‘Vipra-dhenu’ is a stock marker of grievous adharma; the verse frames ethics as universally beneficial (sarvaloke hitam), not merely sectarian counsel.
It is a graded rhetorical preference (varaṃ…varaṃ…): it ranks harms to show that certain transgressions—slander, lying, adultery, and repeated appropriation of others’ wealth—are worse than socially painful alternatives. The point is ethical prioritization, not a literal injunction to seek death or beggary.
Prahlāda’s strategy is moral suasion: he confronts Daitya kingship with universally intelligible dharma (truthful speech, restraint, non-violation of others). The narrative tension is that such counsel, though ‘pathya’, provokes the tyrant’s rage rather than reform.