Vamana Purana — Harihara Revelation, Shloka 5
Harihara Revelation and the Kurukshetra Tirtha Cycle: Sthanu in Vishnu and the Sanctification of Saptasarasvata
मारणं मित्रकौटिल्यं लिथ्याभिशपनं च यत् मिष्टौकाशनमित्युक्तं पञ्चमं तु नृपाचनम्
māraṇaṃ mitrakauṭilyaṃ lithyābhiśapanaṃ ca yat miṣṭaukāśanamityuktaṃ pañcamaṃ tu nṛpācanam
हत्या, मित्रांशी कपट, तसेच निंदात्मक शाप-प्रयोग इत्यादी—यास ‘मिष्टौकाशन’ असे म्हणतात; आणि पाचवा नरक ‘नृपाचन’ होय.
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FAQs
Purāṇic ethics treats social trust (mitra-dharma) and speech as powerful moral forces. Treachery and malicious imprecation can destroy lives and communities; thus they are placed alongside physical violence as grave adharma with severe infernal results.
Such names are often descriptive and ironic. ‘Miṣṭaukāśana’ suggests alluring ‘sweet’ enjoyment that masks sin and culminates in punishment; ‘Nṛpācana’ conveys extreme torment (roasting/cooking of humans), emphasizing the severity of the listed transgressions.
When a reading is uncertain, a conservative approach is to translate by context: it stands near abhiśapana (cursing) and thus likely denotes a form of verbal harm such as slander, abusive speech, or malicious denunciation. A critical edition or manuscript comparison would be needed for a definitive gloss.