Vamana Purana — Harihara Revelation, Shloka 20

Harihara Revelation and the Kurukshetra Tirtha Cycle: Sthanu in Vishnu and the Sanctification of Saptasarasvata

Devanagari script

एतस्मात् कारणात् साध्य सुतः पुत्रेति गद्यते अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि शेषपापस्य लक्षणम्

Transliteration

etasmāt kāraṇāt sādhya sutaḥ putreti gadyate ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi śeṣapāpasya lakṣaṇam

Translation

ഈ കാരണത്താൽ, ഹേ സാദുവേ, മകനെ ‘പുത്ര’ എന്നു വിളിക്കുന്നു. ഇനി ശേഷിക്കുന്ന പാപങ്ങളുടെ ലക്ഷണങ്ങൾ ഞാൻ വിശദീകരിക്കും.

Speakers

• Teacher/narrator addressing an inquirer (‘sādhya’); explicit named speakers not present in the excerpt

Key Themes

• Nirukti-style etymology (putra and Puṃnāma)
• Didactic sequencing (transition to catalog of sins)
• Moral taxonomy (pāpa-lakṣaṇa)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the implied etymology behind calling a son ‘putra’?

The verse alludes to a common Purāṇic nirukti: ‘putra’ is associated with rescuing (trā) the father/ancestors from ‘Puṃnāma’ (a hell). It is a theological-etymological explanation used to underscore filial and ancestral duties.

Who is addressed as ‘sādhya’ here?

‘Sādhya’ is a respectful vocative meaning ‘worthy one’ or ‘good person.’ In Purāṇic narration it can address the immediate listener (a sage or disciple) without naming them in every verse.

What does ‘śeṣapāpasya lakṣaṇam’ signal about the chapter’s structure?

It indicates a transition: after praising putra-dharma and its salvific effect, the text proceeds to define and classify other sins (‘remaining sins’)—a typical Purāṇic method of moral instruction through lists and diagnostic markers.