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Mahānirvāṇa Tantra cover

॥ श्री ॥tantraFor reading

Mahānirvāṇa Tantra 8.34

Traditional

Ullāsas
14
Published
8
Verses
1201
Minutes
600
Level
advanced

Ullāsa 8 · Verse 34

गृहस्थकर्त्तव्यानिThe duties of the householder

Verse 34

वञ्चयित्वा गुरून् बन्धून् यो भुङ्क्ते स्वोदरम्भरः । इहैव लोकगर्ह्योऽसौ परत्र नारकी भवेत् ॥ ३४ ॥

vañcayitvā gurūn bandhūn yō bhuṅktē svōdarambharaḥ | ihaiva lōkagarhyō’sau paratra nārakī bhavēt || 34 ||

Translation

He who cheats his elders and kin and eats, filling his own belly, is despised by people in this very world, and in the next goes to hell.

Word by word

vañcayitvā
cheating
gurūn
his elders
bandhūn
and kin
yō
(yaḥ) he who
bhuṅktē
eats
sva
his own
udarambharaḥ
filling the belly
iha
in this
ēva
very
lōka
by people
garhyō
(garhyaḥ) despised
asau
he
paratra
in the next world
nārakī
goes to hell
bhavēt
becomes

Meaning

The commentary glosses "gurūn" as "the father and the rest", the elders of the house, not the spiritual teacher alone. "Svodarambhara", one who fills his own belly, is the classic Indian picture of selfishness. The punishment is double: contempt here, hell hereafter.

Commentary

Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated

Gurūn: the father and the rest. Loka-garhyaḥ: despised by people. (This explanation covers verses 34 and 35.)