Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 30

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

Devanagari script

दैत्यानां वचनं श्रुत्वा धुनधुर्दैत्यपुरोहितम् पप्रच्छ शुक्रं किं कर्म कृत्वा ब्रह्मसदोगतिः

Transliteration

daityānāṃ vacanaṃ śrutvā dhunadhurdaityapurohitam papraccha śukraṃ kiṃ karma kṛtvā brahmasadogatiḥ

Translation

দৈত্যসকলৰ বাক্য শুনি ধুন্ধুৱে দৈত্য-পুরোহিত শুক্ৰক সুধিলে— “কোন কৰ্ম কৰিলে ব্ৰহ্মাৰ সভা (ব্ৰহ্মসদন) প্ৰাপ্তি হয়?”

Speakers

• Dhundhu questioning Śukra (Daitya-purohita).

Primary Deities

• Brahma
• Shukra (Ushanas)

Key Themes

• Merit leading to higher worlds (gati)
• Ritual causality and soteriology
• Guru as revealer of dharma/karma

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is ‘brahma-sadas’ in Purāṇic idiom?

‘Brahma-sadas’ denotes Brahmā’s assembly/court—an exalted cosmological locus associated with Brahmaloka or proximity to Brahmā. The question asks which meritorious observance (karma) grants such an elevated post-mortem or spiritual attainment (gati).

Why is the question framed as ‘kṛtvā’ (having done) rather than ‘jñātvā’ (having known)?

The diction emphasizes a performative path: attainment is linked to enacted merit—ritual, vow, charity, pilgrimage-service, or similar dharmic performance—rather than purely cognitive realization. The subsequent narrative typically specifies the exact observance.

Is this passage part of tīrtha-māhātmya geography, or a doctrinal interlude?

As given, it is a doctrinal interlude within a broader narrative frame: it asks about the karmic means to a cosmological destination. No terrestrial geography is named in these three verses, though the chapter may connect such attainments to specific tīrthas elsewhere.