Vamana Purana — Rules of Purity (Shauca), Shloka 18
Rules of Purity (Śauca), Permissible Foods, and the Duties of the Householder and Forest-Dweller
तस्य स्वरूपं वक्ष्यामः सदाचारस्य राक्षस शृणुष्वैकमनास्तच्च यदि श्रेयो ऽभिवाञ्छसि
tasya svarūpaṃ vakṣyāmaḥ sadācārasya rākṣasa śṛṇuṣvaikamanāstacca yadi śreyo 'bhivāñchasi
Ta sẽ tuyên bày bản tánh chân thật của chánh hạnh ấy, hỡi Rākṣasa. Hãy lắng nghe với tâm nhất điểm, nếu ngươi ước cầu điều thiện tối thượng.
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The verse frames dharma-learning as intentional and contemplative: the listener must be ekamanas (focused) to grasp sadācāra, which is directly linked to śreyas—lasting welfare rather than temporary gain.
As with the surrounding verses, it is dharma-upadeśa (ethical instruction) within the Purāṇic narrative frame, serving the Purāṇa’s pedagogical function rather than cosmogenesis or dynastic history proper.
Addressing even a ‘rākṣasa’ as eligible for śreyas underscores the Purāṇic universality of dharma: right conduct is available to all beings, and attentive listening is depicted as the first step in moral transformation.