Vamana Purana — Narada Questions Pulastya, Shloka 21
Narada Questions Pulastya: The Vamana Purana Begins and Satī’s Monsoon Lament
उद्वत्त्वेगाः सहसैव निम्नगा जाताः शशङ्काङ्कितचारुमैले किमत्र चित्रं यदनुज्ज्वलं जनं निषेव्य योषिद् भवति त्वशीला
udvattvegāḥ sahasaiva nimnagā jātāḥ śaśaṅkāṅkitacārumaile kimatra citraṃ yadanujjvalaṃ janaṃ niṣevya yoṣid bhavati tvaśīlā
诸河水势骤涨，流波翻涌，因月光映照在其幽黑而秀丽的水面上，遂显得格外可爱。女子若亲近昏钝无光之人而变得失德，又有何可怪？
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FAQs
Conduct is shaped by company: association with the ‘unillustrious’ (anujjvala) is presented as a predictable cause of moral decline. The verse reinforces the dharma-śāstric emphasis on sat-saṅga (keeping noble company).
This is a nīti (ethical) interpolation within narration, not a direct pañcalakṣaṇa unit. It functions as Purāṇic upadeśa (instruction) accompanying descriptive passages.
The swollen river suggests how external conditions can rapidly alter a thing’s ‘behavior’ (flow/force). The moral analogy argues that human character likewise shifts under environmental influence—especially social proximity (saṅga).