Shloka 58
The Greatness of the Month of Māgha
Māgha-snāna, Harivāsara, and the Kāṣṭhīlā-Upākhyāna
अग्न्यादिसाक्ष्ये वृतमीक्ष्य निष्ठुरा युक्तं सुधोरैर्व्यसनैर्द्विजात्मजा । पतिं ददौ नैव च याचिता धनं तेनैव पापेन बभूव कीटा ॥ ५८ ॥
agnyādisākṣye vṛtamīkṣya niṣṭhurā yuktaṃ sudhorairvyasanairdvijātmajā | patiṃ dadau naiva ca yācitā dhanaṃ tenaiva pāpena babhūva kīṭā || 58 ||
അഗ്നി മുതലായ സാക്ഷികളുടെ സന്നിധിയിൽ വ്രതം ഉറപ്പിച്ചതായി കണ്ടിട്ടും, കഠിനഹൃദയയായ ബ്രാഹ്മണകുമാരി—ഭാരമുള്ള ദുരിതങ്ങളിൽ കുടുങ്ങിയിരുന്നിട്ടും—യാചിച്ച ഭർത്താവിന് ധനം കൊടുത്തില്ല. അതേ പാപം കൊണ്ടു അവൾ പുഴുവായി.
Narrator (Purāṇic discourse tradition; likely Sanatkumāra instructing Nārada in the Uttara-bhāga narrative flow)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It stresses karma-phala: when a vow is taken with sacred witnesses (Agni and others), violating its ethical demand—especially through hardness of heart—produces a degrading rebirth, here symbolized as becoming a worm.
Bhakti in the Purāṇic sense includes compassion, truthfulness, and keeping sacred commitments; this verse shows that devotion is undermined by cruelty and adharma, which lead to spiritual downfall rather than divine grace.
It reflects the ritual principle (Kalpa/Smṛti-aligned practice) that vows and solemn pledges are validated through sacred witnesses like Agni; once ritually affirmed, they carry binding dharmic force and serious karmic consequences if violated.