Vamana Purana — Jabali on the Banyan Tree, Shloka 14
Jabali Bound on the Banyan Tree and Nandayanti’s Appeal at Sri-Kantha on the Yamuna
भवानपि तपोयुक्तः शास्त्रवेत्ता गुणाप्लुतः नेदृशे पापसंकल्पे मतिं कुर्याद् भवद्विधः
bhavānapi tapoyuktaḥ śāstravettā guṇāplutaḥ nedṛśe pāpasaṃkalpe matiṃ kuryād bhavadvidhaḥ
तूही तपयुक्त, शास्त्रज्ञ आणि गुणांनी परिपूर्ण आहेस; तुझ्यासारख्या पुरुषाने अशा पापमय संकल्पात मन लावू नये.
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Purāṇic ethics often treat saṃkalpa (inner resolve) as causally potent: intention shapes karma and future action. The verse warns that moral failure begins in the mind before it manifests outwardly.
They are presented as credentials and safeguards: austerity disciplines desire, and śāstra-knowledge clarifies right conduct. The rebuke is sharper because the addressee already possesses both.
It frames the addressee as fundamentally capable of dharmic conduct, implying that the contemplated wrongdoing is a deviation from their established character and therefore avoidable.