Vamana Purana — Sukesha's Boon & Twelve Dharmas, Shloka 42

Sukesha’s Boon, the Twelve Dharmas of Beings, and the Cosmography of the Seven Dvipas with the Twenty-One Hells

Devanagari script

पुष्करद्वीपमानो ऽयं तावदेव तथोदधिः लक्षमण्डकटाहेन समन्तादिभिपूरितम्

Transliteration

puṣkaradvīpamāno 'yaṃ tāvadeva tathodadhiḥ lakṣamaṇḍakaṭāhena samantādibhipūritam

Translation

هذه هي سِعةُ بُشْكَرَدْوِيپا (Puṣkaradvīpa)؛ والبحرُ المُحيطُ بها على المقدارِ نفسه—ممتلئٌ من كلِّ جانبٍ كأنما مُلِئَ بقدرٍ عظيمٍ من نوع «مَنْدَكَ-قِدْر» وفقَ مِقدارِ «لَكْشَ» (lakṣa).

Word by Word

• puṣkaradvīpa-mānaḥ: having the measure of Puṣkara-dvīpa
• puṣkaradvīpa-mānaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṣkara-dvīpa + māna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); विशेषण—‘whose measure is Puṣkara-dvīpa’

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun

• tāvat: so much; to that extent
• tāvat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय); adverb of measure/extent

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय); emphatic particle (निपात)

• tathā: thus; likewise
• tathā: Sambandha/Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय); adverb

• udadhiḥ: ocean
• udadhiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• lakṣa-maṇḍa-kaṭāhena: by/with a cauldron (measure) of a hundred-thousand maṇḍas
• lakṣa-maṇḍa-kaṭāhena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣa + maṇḍa + kaṭāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन); करण—measure/container sense

• samantāt: on all sides
• samantāt: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samantāt (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय); adverb meaning ‘on all sides’

• abhipūritam: filled; completely filled
• abhipūritam: Karma (कर्म) / Predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-√pṝ (पूरणे) (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (कृत्—क्त/कर्मणि), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with implied neuter subject/object (e.g., ‘(idam) …’)

Speakers

• Dialogue frame not explicit in the given excerpt

Key Themes

• Purāṇic Cosmography
• Proportional world-structure (dvīpa = surrounding ocean)
• Metaphoric description (vessel/cauldron imagery)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The ‘equal measure’ motif underscores balance and symmetry in the cosmos—an implicit teaching that order and proportion are foundational to stability, mirroring the dhārmic ideal of measured conduct.

How does this fit the Pañcalakṣaṇa?

Sarga/cosmography: the text is mapping the created world’s proportions rather than narrating avatāra deeds or dynastic events.

What is the symbolic significance?

The cauldron/vessel metaphor conveys containment: the ocean is not chaotic infinity but ‘held’ within cosmic design. This supports a Purāṇic vision where even vast waters are structured, bounded, and purposeful.