Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 20

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

Devanagari script

ते धुन्धुवाक्यं तु निशम्य दैत्याः प्रोचुर्न नो विद्यति लोकपाल गतिर्यया याम पितामहाजिरं सुदुर्गमो ऽयं परतो हि मार्गः

Transliteration

te dhundhuvākyaṃ tu niśamya daityāḥ procurna no vidyati lokapāla gatiryayā yāma pitāmahājiraṃ sudurgamo 'yaṃ parato hi mārgaḥ

Translation

[{"question": "Why does the narrative specify the city Śākala and the mother’s name Bahulā?", "answer": "Purāṇic karma narratives often authenticate the backstory through concrete identifiers—place, personal name, and lineage. Naming Śākala anchors the episode geographically, while naming Bahulā provides genealogical specificity, strengthening the causal link between past identity and present condition."}, {"question": "What does ‘vipra’ imply here beyond ‘brāhmaṇa’?", "answer": "Vipra connotes learnedness and Vedic competence, not merely birth. In karma-phala stories, this heightens the ethical stakes: a person with knowledge and ritual standing is expected to uphold dharma, so deviation (if later described) becomes more consequential."}, {"question": "Is Śākala identifiable in broader Indic geography?", "answer": "Śākala is a well-known toponym in classical sources, often associated with the northwestern cultural sphere (frequently linked with the Śākala/Sialkot region in later identifications). In this verse, its primary function is narrative-geographic anchoring rather than a tīrtha description."}]

Speakers

• Daityas replying to Dhundhu (addressing him as ‘loka-pāla’ in speech)

Primary Deities

• Brahmā

Key Themes

• Limits of Asura power
• Cosmic topography (access to Brahmaloka)
• Thresholds and guarded paths
• Counsel within Daitya ranks

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why do the Daityas claim there is ‘no known route’ to Brahmā’s precinct?

Purāṇic cosmology treats higher worlds as accessible only through specific yogic, meritorious, or divinely sanctioned ‘paths’ (gati). The Daityas’ statement underscores that brute force alone does not guarantee passage into Brahmaloka’s sphere.

Does ‘loka-pāla’ here mean one of the eight Lokapālas?

In this line it functions as an honorific address—‘protector of the world’—to the leader being spoken to (Dhundhu). The term also resonates with the technical class of Lokapālas, but the immediate grammar supports it as direct address.

What is ‘pitāmahājira’ in spatial terms?

Literally ‘the Grandfather’s courtyard/precinct,’ it evokes Brahmā’s court (sabhā) as a bounded, guarded space—an architectural metaphor for a cosmological realm.