Vamana Purana — Harihara Revelation, Shloka 15

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

Devanagari script

अज्ञानं चाप्यमुयत्वमशौचमशुभावहम् स्मृतं तत् पञ्चदशममस्त्यवचनानि च

Transliteration

ajñānaṃ cāpyamuyatvamaśaucamaśubhāvaham smṛtaṃ tat pañcadaśamamastyavacanāni ca

Translation

అజ్ఞానం, అలాగే ‘అముయత్వం’ (మోహస్థితి) మరియు అశౌచం—అశుభఫలప్రదం—ఇవి పదిహేనవ (దోషం)గా స్మృతం; అలాగే అసత్యవచనములు కూడా।

Word by Word

• अज्ञानम्: ignorance
• अज्ञानम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; nominative/accusative singular

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Conjunctive)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• अपि: also
• अपि: निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (particle: also/even)

• अमुयत्वम्: (unclear term) a certain state/condition
• अमुयत्वम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमुयत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; भाववाचक ‘-त्व’ (abstract noun); पाठः संदिग्धः (भ्रष्ट-सम्भावना)

• अशौचम्: impurity
• अशौचम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशौच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; nominative/accusative singular

• अशुभावहम्: bringing misfortune
• अशुभावहम्: विशेषण (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशुभ + आवह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; ‘bringing inauspiciousness’

• स्मृतम्: is stated
• स्मृतम्: क्रिया (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; ‘is declared/remembered’

• तत्: that
• तत्: सम्बन्ध (Anaphoric)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; demonstrative pronoun

• पञ्चदशमम्: fifteenth
• पञ्चदशमम्: विशेषण (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चदशम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; ordinal adjective

• अस्त्यवचनानि: affirmative statements / ‘asti’-utterances
• अस्त्यवचनानि: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्ति + अवचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्; nominative/accusative plural; ‘words like “asti”’/‘affirmative utterances’ (पाठार्थः संदिग्धः)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Conjunctive)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

Speakers

• Not specified in the excerpt (didactic narration within Adhyāya 35).

Key Themes

• Ethics of speech (satya vs. asatya)
• Impurity (aśauca) and its consequences
• Ignorance as a moral/spiritual fault
• Karmic causality (aśubha-phala)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are ‘ignorance’ and ‘impurity’ treated as punishable faults rather than mere conditions?

In Purāṇic dharma lists, ajñāna and aśauca are not only states but causes of harmful action: ignorance leads to adharma through wrong judgment, while aśauca denotes both ritual pollution and moral uncleanliness that obstructs worship, social order, and self-restraint—thus producing ‘aśubha’ (inauspicious karmic results).

What does the obscure term ‘amuyatva’ likely indicate here?

The word is rare; in context with ajñāna and aśauca it most plausibly denotes culpable delusion, heedlessness, or a ‘not-present’ mental state (as if one is ‘elsewhere’), i.e., negligence that enables wrongdoing. A critical edition or parallel dharma-list would be needed to fix the exact nuance.

How does this verse frame false speech (asatyavacana)?

It places lying alongside foundational inner faults (ignorance, delusion, impurity), implying that untruth is not a minor lapse but a root-level breach of dharma that destabilizes trust, ritual integrity, and moral order.