Vamana Purana — Karmic Causes of Narakas, Shloka 12

Karmic Causes of Narakas and the Irremediability of Ingratitude (Kṛtaghna-doṣa)

Devanagari script

देवतातिथिभूतेषु भृत्येष्वभ्यागतेषु च अभुक्तवत्सु ये ऽश्नन्ति बालपित्रग्निमातृषु

Transliteration

devatātithibhūteṣu bhṛtyeṣvabhyāgateṣu ca abhuktavatsu ye 'śnanti bālapitragnimātṛṣu

Translation

ਜੋ ਦੇਵਤਿਆਂ, ਮਹਿਮਾਨਾਂ, ਜੀਵਾਂ, ਨੌਕਰਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਆਏ ਹੋਇਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਖਵਾਏ ਬਿਨਾਂ ਆਪ ਖਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਅਤੇ ਜਦੋਂ ਬੱਚੇ, ਪਿਤਾ, ਯਜ્ઞ ਅੱਗ ਤੇ ਮਾਤਾ ਵੀ ਭੁੱਖੇ ਹੋਣ—ਉਹ ਭਾਰੀ ਦੋਸ਼ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• devatā-atithi-bhūteṣu: among gods, guests, and beings
• devatā-atithi-bhūteṣu: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक) + atithi (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्वः

• bhṛtyeṣu: among servants/dependents
• bhṛtyeṣu: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• abhyāgateṣu: among those who have arrived (visitors)
• abhyāgateṣu: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhyāgata (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (arrived)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• abhuktavatsu: while they have not eaten
• abhuktavatsu: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-bhukta-vat (प्रातिपदिक; -वत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; नञ्-पूर्वक + क्त (भुक्त) + वत् (possessing)

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• aśnanti: eat
• aśnanti: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: aś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• bāla-pitṛ-agni-mātṛṣu: in the presence of children, father, fire, and mother
• bāla-pitṛ-agni-mātṛṣu: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक) + pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (समाहार), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्वः

Speakers

• Not specified in input (commonly Pulastya → Nārada framework in Vāmana Purāṇa)

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Atithi-satkara (hospitality)
• Gṛhastha duties
• Karmaphala warnings
• Non-violence/compassion to beings

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

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.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

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.

What is the symbolic significance?

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.