Vamana Purana — Karmic Causes of Narakas, Shloka 49
Karmic Causes of Narakas and the Irremediability of Ingratitude (Kṛtaghna-doṣa)
तेजस्विनां यद्वदिहार्क उक्तो ऋक्षेषु चन्द्रो जलधिर्ह्वदेषु भवान् यथा राक्षससत्तमेषु पाशेषु नागस्तिमितेषु बन्धः
tejasvināṃ yadvadihārka ukto ṛkṣeṣu candro jaladhirhvadeṣu bhavān yathā rākṣasasattameṣu pāśeṣu nāgastimiteṣu bandhaḥ
正如在诸光辉者中，太阳被宣称为至上；在诸星宿中，月亮为胜；在诸湖泊水域中，大海为最。正如你在最优的罗刹（Rākṣasa）之中居于上首；在诸绳索罗网（pāśa）之中，龙蛇（Nāga）为首；而在诸不动之物中，“束缚”（bandha）最为显著。
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FAQs
The verse uses ranked exemplars to teach discernment (viveka): within any domain there is a ‘principal’ that sets the standard; the listener is urged to recognize what is truly primary in a given sphere.
It is rhetorical/didactic praise rather than sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita proper; it likely serves as an introductory or transitional stuti within the chapter’s instruction.
Sun/Moon/ocean symbolize unsurpassed centrality in their respective systems; the final ‘bandha’ image hints that bondage is the defining feature of inert existence—implicitly motivating the pursuit of liberating knowledge aligned with higher authority.