Vamana Purana — Karmic Causes of Narakas, Shloka 35
Karmic Causes of Narakas and the Irremediability of Ingratitude (Kṛtaghna-doṣa)
पुनर्भूपतयो ये च कन्याविध्वंसकाश्च ये तद्गर्भश्राद्धभुग् यश्च कृमीन्भक्षेत्पिपीलिकाः
punarbhūpatayo ye ca kanyāvidhvaṃsakāśca ye tadgarbhaśrāddhabhug yaśca kṛmīnbhakṣetpipīlikāḥ
Sesiapa yang mengambil seorang wanita semula (punarbhū), sesiapa yang mencemari anak dara, dan sesiapa yang memakan hidangan/ persembahan śrāddha yang berkaitan dengan kehamilannya—maka dia menjadi pemakan cacing dan semut.
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FAQs
The verse warns that harming sexual integrity (especially of a maiden) and violating ritual boundaries around śrāddha are not merely social faults but deep adharmic acts with degrading consequences. It reinforces restraint (saṃyama) and reverence for rites tied to ancestry and life-cycle sanctity.
This is dharma-śāstra-like instruction embedded in Purāṇic discourse—normative ethics and ritual correctness rather than the five hallmark topics (sarga etc.). It functions as ancillary dharma teaching within the Purāṇa.
The image of eating worms and ants symbolizes moral degradation and the reversal of human dignity: one who exploits purity/innocence or pollutes ancestral rites is depicted as falling into a base, scavenging mode of existence.