Vamana Purana — Harihara Revelation, Shloka 17

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

Devanagari script

इच्छा च परदारेषु नरकाय निगद्यते ईर्षर्याभावश्च सत्येषु उद्धृत्तं तु विगर्हितम्

Transliteration

icchā ca paradāreṣu narakāya nigadyate īrṣaryābhāvaśca satyeṣu uddhṛttaṃ tu vigarhitam

Translation

پرائی عورت کی خواہش کو جہنم کا سبب کہا گیا ہے۔ نیز حسد، اور اہلِ صدق و صلاح کے ساتھ بےادبی—قابلِ مذمت ہے؛ اور سرکشی/تکبر بھی یقیناً مذموم ہے۔

Speakers

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

Key Themes

• Sexual ethics (paradāra)
• Naraka as moral consequence
• Envy (īrṣyā) as inner sin
• Satya and respect for the truthful
• Condemnation of arrogance (uddhṛtta)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is ‘desire for another’s spouse’ treated as a direct cause of naraka?

Paradāra is framed as a foundational breach of social and ritual order (gṛhastha-dharma), harming families and trust. Purāṇic lists often treat it as a high-gravity sin because it combines lust, deception, and injury to others.

How do envy and arrogance function in this verse’s moral logic?

They are inner dispositions that corrode dharma from within: īrṣyā resents others’ merit and prosperity, while uddhṛtta (insolence) rejects humility and correction. Together they generate further wrongdoing and block spiritual progress.

What does ‘satyeṣu’ imply here—truth itself or truthful people?

The phrase can be read as ‘with respect to the truthful/virtuous’ (satya-vṛtta persons) or ‘in matters of truth.’ Either way, the verse condemns a stance that lacks commitment to satya—socially (disrespecting truthful persons) and ethically (disregarding truth).