Vamana Purana — Sukesha's Boon & Twelve Dharmas, Shloka 24
Sukesha’s Boon, the Twelve Dharmas of Beings, and the Cosmography of the Seven Dvipas with the Twenty-One Hells
जितेन्द्रियत्वं शौचं च माङ्गल्यं भक्तिरच्युते शङ्करे भास्करे देव्यां धर्मो ऽयं मानवः स्मृतः
jitendriyatvaṃ śaucaṃ ca māṅgalyaṃ bhaktiracyute śaṅkare bhāskare devyāṃ dharmo 'yaṃ mānavaḥ smṛtaḥ
ইন্দ্রিয়জয়, শৌচ, মঙ্গলাচরণ ও অচ্যুতে ভক্তি; এবং শঙ্কর, ভাস্কর ও দেবীর প্রতি শ্রদ্ধা—এটাই মানবধর্ম বলে স্মৃত।
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Human dharma is framed as both ethical discipline (sense-control, purity, auspicious conduct) and devotional orientation. Importantly, devotion is not sect-limited: while bhakti to Viṣṇu (Acyuta) is highlighted, reverence is also extended to Śiva, Sūrya, and Devī—presenting a broad, integrative religious ethic.
This is primarily dharma-ācāra/upanibandha instruction within the Purāṇa rather than one of the five defining narrative topics. It also reflects the Purāṇic function of teaching sādhāraṇa-dharma (universal duties) alongside mythic cosmology and genealogies.
By naming Acyuta (Viṣṇu) alongside Śaṅkara (Śiva), Bhāskara (Sūrya), and Devī, the text symbolically maps dharma onto a ‘complete’ sacred cosmos: preservation (Viṣṇu), transformation (Śiva), illumination/order (Sūrya), and power/nurture (Devī). This supports the Vāmana Purāṇa’s non-sectarian theological grammar.