Vamana Purana — Karmic Causes of Narakas, Shloka 1
Karmic Causes of Narakas and the Irremediability of Ingratitude (Kṛtaghna-doṣa)
इति श्रीवामनपुराणे एकादशो ऽध्यायः सुकेशिरुवाच कर्मणा नरकानेतान् केन गच्छन्ति वै कथम् एतद् वदन्तु विप्रेन्द्राः परं कौतूहलं मम
iti śrīvāmanapurāṇe ekādaśo 'dhyāyaḥ sukeśiruvāca karmaṇā narakānetān kena gacchanti vai katham etad vadantu viprendrāḥ paraṃ kautūhalaṃ mama
“至此，《圣·婆摩那往世书》第十一章结束。苏克西（Sukeśī）说道：‘人们因何种业行而往诸地狱？又是如何前往？诸位最胜婆罗门，请为我宣说；我的求知之心实在强烈。’”
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FAQs
The verse models the Purāṇic pedagogy: inquiry (jijñāsā) into ethical causality. Curiosity is directed toward dharma—seeking precise links between conduct and consequence, which supports moral responsibility rather than fatalism.
As a chapter transition and question, it is part of the narrative-dialogue scaffolding that carries dharma teachings. It is not itself sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita, but a didactic hinge introducing karma-specific exposition.
Sukeśī’s ‘kautūhala’ signifies the turn from mere hearing of frightening descriptions to discriminative understanding (viveka): not just that suffering exists, but why it arises—placing ethics, intention, and action at the center.