Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 60

The Merit of Śravaṇa-Dvādaśī and the Liberation of a Preta through Gayā Piṇḍa-Rites

Devanagari script

नेत्रभास इति ख्यातो ज्येष्ठो भ्राता ममासुर मम नाम पिता चक्रे गतिभासेति कौतुकात्

Transliteration

netrabhāsa iti khyāto jyeṣṭho bhrātā mamāsura mama nāma pitā cakre gatibhāseti kautukāt

Translation

{"avatara_relevance": false, "avatara_stage": null, "dwarf_form_active": false, "trivikrama_form_active": false, "bali_interaction": null, "divine_purpose": null, "aditi_kashyapa_context": null}

Word by Word

:

:

:

Speakers

• Same unnamed Asura narrator continuing to speak to an unnamed listener

Key Themes

• Asura genealogy
• Name-etymology and characterization
• Narrative self-positioning

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "hasya", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the significance of the names Netrabhāsa and Gatibhāsa?

Both names are built on bhāsa (‘shine, radiance’), suggesting a thematic pairing: Netrabhāsa (‘radiance of the eyes/vision’) and Gatibhāsa (‘radiance of movement/trajectory’). Purāṇic narratives often use such names to foreshadow traits—perception/vision for one, speed/agency or ‘course of destiny’ for the other.

Why does the verse say the father named him ‘kautukāt’?

Kautuka indicates a light, whimsical motive—‘out of amusement’—which can subtly imply that the naming is not solemnly ritualized but narrative and character-driven, sometimes hinting at irony or later reversal of fortune.

Are any deities or sacred places invoked here?

No. The verse is confined to familial identification and naming; it contains no explicit deity-invocation or tīrtha geography.