Vamana Purana — Karmic Causes of Narakas, Shloka 12
Karmic Causes of Narakas and the Irremediability of Ingratitude (Kṛtaghna-doṣa)
देवतातिथिभूतेषु भृत्येष्वभ्यागतेषु च अभुक्तवत्सु ये ऽश्नन्ति बालपित्रग्निमातृषु
devatātithibhūteṣu bhṛtyeṣvabhyāgateṣu ca abhuktavatsu ye 'śnanti bālapitragnimātṛṣu
देवता, अतिथी, प्राणी, सेवक व आगंतुक यांना न खाऊ घालता जे स्वतः खातात, तसेच बालक, पिता, अग्नी व माता अभुक्त असताना—ते महान दोष करतात।
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Householder ethics prioritize feeding and honoring dependents, guests, and ritual obligations before one’s own consumption. The verse encodes a hierarchy of responsibility—divine share (devatā/agni), social duty (atithi/abhyāgata/bhṛtya), and care for the vulnerable (bāla/bhūta)—as a marker of dharma.
This is dharma-śikṣā (ethical instruction) embedded in Purāṇic discourse, not a direct pañcalakṣaṇa unit. It supports the Purāṇic function of teaching right conduct alongside cosmology and genealogies.
Eating first symbolizes ego-centered living; feeding others first symbolizes yajña-spirit—life sustained through reciprocity and offering. Mentioning agni links domestic ethics to sacrificial order: neglect of others is framed as neglect of the cosmic/ritual principle.