Vamana Purana — Nakshatra-Purusha Vrata, Shloka 77

The Nakshatra-Purusha Vrata: Worship of Vishnu’s Body as the Constellations

Devanagari script

तत्रापि क्षत्रवृत्तिस्थो दानभोगरतो वशी गोग्रहे ऽरिगणाञ्जित्वा कालधर्ममुपेयिवान् शक्रलोकं स संप्राप्य देवैः सर्वैः सुपूजितः

Transliteration

tatrāpi kṣatravṛttistho dānabhogarato vaśī gograhe 'rigaṇāñjitvā kāladharmamupeyivān śakralokaṃ sa saṃprāpya devaiḥ sarvaiḥ supūjitaḥ

Translation

There too, established in the conduct proper to a kṣatriya, self-controlled and devoted to charity and rightful enjoyments, he conquered hosts of enemies in the protection of cattle. In due course, having met the law of time (i.e., death), he attained the world of Śakra (Indra) and was highly honored by all the gods.

Speakers

• Narrator within the Saromahatmiya frame (traditional frame often: Pulastya to Nārada) describing a karmic episode

Primary Deities

• Indra (Śakra)

Key Themes

• Kṣatriya-dharma (protection and governance)
• Go-rakṣā (protection of cattle)
• Dāna (charity)
• Karmaphala (heavenly reward for dharma)
• Mortality as kāla-dharma

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why is “gograha” (protection of cows) highlighted in a kṣatriya context?

In Purāṇic dharma discourse, the king’s duty includes protection of subjects and their livelihood; cattle symbolize agrarian wealth, ritual economy (milk, ghee), and social stability. Thus, defending cattle from raiders/enemies is presented as a paradigmatic kṣatriya act that yields merit.

What does “kāla-dharma” imply here—fate, death, or a moral law?

Here it functions as a standard euphemism for death as the inevitable ordinance of Time (kāla). The verse frames death not as misfortune but as a lawful transition that leads to a deserved post-mortem destination.

Is Śakraloka the final goal in this teaching?

No. Śakraloka represents a high but impermanent heavenly reward. The surrounding narrative (as indicated by the next verse) typically stresses that when merit is exhausted, one falls again into mortal birth—reinforcing the doctrine of cyclical rebirth.