Vamana Purana — Harihara Revelation, Shloka 3

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

Devanagari script

वर्ज्यादानं तथा दुष्टमवध्यवधबन्धनम् विवादमर्थहेतूत्थं तृतीयं नरकं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

varjyādānaṃ tathā duṣṭamavadhyavadhabandhanam vivādamarthahetūtthaṃ tṛtīyaṃ narakaṃ smṛtam

Translation

ଯାହା ଦେବା ଉଚିତ୍ ନୁହେଁ ତାହାର ଦାନ, ଦୁଷ୍ଟ ଆଚରଣ, ଯାହାକୁ ବଧ କରିବା ନିଷିଦ୍ଧ ତାହାର ବଧ କିମ୍ବା ବନ୍ଧନ, ଏବଂ ଧନ-ହେତୁ ଉତ୍ପନ୍ନ ବିବାଦ—ଏହାକୁ ତୃତୀୟ ନରକ ବୋଲି ସ୍ମୃତ।

Word by Word

• varjyādānam: taking what should be avoided (forbidden taking)
• varjyādānam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varjya + ādāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (वर्ज्यस्य आदानम् = taking what is forbidden)

• tathā: also
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अनुक्रमसूचक (also/likewise)

• duṣṭam: evil; wicked
• duṣṭam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (wicked/evil)

• avadhya-vadha-bandhanam: killing of the non-killable and imprisonment
• avadhya-vadha-bandhanam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject, coordinated)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-vadhya + vadha + bandhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (अवध्यवधः च बन्धनं च)

• vivādam: quarrel; dispute
• vivādam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject, coordinated)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vivāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• arthahetūttham: arising from (a) motive of wealth
• arthahetūttham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: artha + hetu + uttha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अर्थहेतोः उत्थम् = arising from greed/wealth-cause)

• tṛtīyam: third
• tṛtīyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛtīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक विशेषण

• narakam: hell
• narakam: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• smṛtam: is said
• smṛtam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि (is said/considered)

Speakers

• Unspecified in the provided excerpt (didactic narration within Adhyaya 35).

Key Themes

• Dharma and Adharma
• Social ethics (protected persons, justice)
• Greed as a cause of conflict
• Karmic consequence (Naraka)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘avadhya’ (not to be killed) in dharma literature, and why is it emphasized here?

Avadhya denotes persons protected by dharma and social order—commonly including dependents, innocents, certain protected classes, and those under refuge. The verse treats violence against the protected (and unjust detention) as a distinct, aggravated adharma leading to severe karmic retribution.

What does ‘vivāda arising from artha’ imply—ordinary legal disputes or something more blameworthy?

The phrasing targets disputes deliberately generated or inflamed for material gain—fraudulent litigation, coercive quarrels, and conflicts driven by greed rather than justice. It is not a blanket condemnation of adjudication, but of artha-motivated contention that harms social harmony.

Why does the text frame these acts as a ‘third hell’ rather than naming a specific Naraka?

Some Purāṇic passages classify hells by moral categories rather than fixed proper names. Here the emphasis is pedagogical: grouping related transgressions (forbidden appropriation/giving, cruelty to the protected, greed-born conflict) under one infernal consequence.