Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 65

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

Devanagari script

शय्यासनस्थानमात्रं स्वेच्छयान्नभुजक्रिया एतावद् दीयते तेभ्यो नार्थभागहरा हि ते

Transliteration

śayyāsanasthānamātraṃ svecchayānnabhujakriyā etāvad dīyate tebhyo nārthabhāgaharā hi te

Translation

“Only a bed, a seat, and a place to stay, and—according to one’s own choice—the act of eating food: only this much is to be given to them; for they are not, indeed, takers of a share in one’s property.”

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher-figure speaking within a didactic family-property dispute (exact interlocutors not named in the given verses).

Key Themes

• Dharma (righteous conduct)
• Hospitality and minimal maintenance (bed/seat/food)
• Property rights and inheritance shares (bhāga)
• Non-appropriation / limits of entitlement

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the practical rule stated here—charity or legal entitlement?

The verse distinguishes basic support (lodging/seat/food) from proprietary entitlement. It frames certain persons as eligible for maintenance but not as claimants to an ‘artha-bhāga’ (a legal share of wealth).

Who are ‘they’ (tebhyaḥ) likely to be in context?

Given the immediate discussion of a ‘paitṛka gṛha’ (ancestral house) in the next verse, ‘they’ plausibly refers to persons maintained in a household—dependents/guests/retainers—who may be supported but do not inherit a property share.

Why does the verse list bed, seat, and place separately?

It enumerates the minimum markers of shelter and hospitality: rest (śayyā), sitting/receiving (āsana), and residence (sthāna). The point is to cap obligations at sustenance and shelter, not wealth transfer.