Vamana Purana — Kali's Complaint to Brahma (Part 1), Shloka 37

Kali’s Complaint to Brahma and the Arrival of Śrī (Jayaśrī) in Bali’s Court

Devanagari script

सर्वसत्त्वानुगमनं कामवर्गफलं च यत् परत्रेह च यच्छ्रेयः पुत्र तत्कर्म आरच

Transliteration

sarvasattvānugamanaṃ kāmavargaphalaṃ ca yat paratreha ca yacchreyaḥ putra tatkarma āraca

Translation

यत्कर्म सर्वसत्त्वानुगमनं, यच्च कामवर्गस्य फलं यथायोग्यं ददाति; यच्चेह परत्र च श्रेयः, पुत्र, तत्कर्म आरच।

Speakers

• Unspecified in the excerpt; a senior speaker (teacher/father-figure) addressing “putra” (son/disciple).

Key Themes

• Dharma as universal welfare (sarvasattva-hita)
• Integration of worldly aims with higher good (iha–paratra śreyas)
• Ethics of action (karma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does “sarvasattvānugamana” imply ethically?

It frames right action as that which ‘goes along with’ all beings—i.e., does not violate the welfare of others and is consonant with a broader moral order. In Purāṇic dharma discourse, this aligns with ahiṃsā, loka-saṅgraha (holding society together), and compassion as criteria for choosing actions.

How can an action yield “kāma” fruits yet still be “śreyas” here and hereafter?

The verse suggests regulated enjoyment: kāma is not rejected but subordinated to śreyas. Actions are commendable when they bring legitimate satisfaction without harming others and when they also support long-term spiritual/moral welfare (e.g., through restraint, charity, truthfulness).

Is this verse part of a tīrtha section of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

Although the Vāmana Purāṇa is strongly geographic in many portions, this particular verse is purely normative/ethical and contains no place-names. It likely occurs in a didactic passage embedded within a broader narrative or pilgrimage framework.