Vamana Purana — Karmic Causes of Narakas, Shloka 22
Karmic Causes of Narakas and the Irremediability of Ingratitude (Kṛtaghna-doṣa)
तेषां लोहमयाः कीला वह्निवर्णाः पुनः पुनः श्रवणेषु निखन्यन्ते धर्मराजस्य किङ्करैः
teṣāṃ lohamayāḥ kīlā vahnivarṇāḥ punaḥ punaḥ śravaṇeṣu nikhanyante dharmarājasya kiṅkaraiḥ
எமதூதர்கள் அவர்கள் காதுகளில் நெருப்புப் போன்ற இரும்பு ஆணிகளை மீண்டும் மீண்டும் அடிக்கிறார்கள்.
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FAQs
The verse teaches karmic retribution: harmful, socially destructive actions lead to proportionate suffering under Dharmarāja’s impartial justice. The focus on the ears symbolically underscores accountability for what one enables—through hearing, consenting, or ignoring dharmic warnings—and for acts that damage communal welfare.
This belongs most closely to Dharma/karma instruction embedded in Itihāsa-Purāṇic narration rather than the five core marks; it aligns loosely with didactic material supporting ‘Manvantara’/‘Vamśānucarita’ sections by prescribing moral order, but is best classified as ancillary dharma-upadeśa (karmaphala-varṇana).
Fiery iron spikes indicate the ‘tāmasika’ culmination of adharma: when one violates social supports, the senses become instruments of torment. The repeated impalement (‘punaḥ punaḥ’) signifies the persistence of karmic residue until exhausted.