Vamana Purana — Nakshatra-Purusha Vrata, Shloka 66

The Nakshatra-Purusha Vrata: Worship of Vishnu’s Body as the Constellations

Devanagari script

यथेयं द्वादशी पुण्या मासि प्रौष्ठपदे सिता बुधश्रवणसंयुक्ता सातिश्रेयस्करी स्मृता

Transliteration

yatheyaṃ dvādaśī puṇyā māsi prauṣṭhapade sitā budhaśravaṇasaṃyuktā sātiśreyaskarī smṛtā

Translation

“Thus, this Dvādaśī (the twelfth lunar day) is holy—occurring in the month of Prauṣṭhapada, in the bright fortnight; when conjoined with Wednesday and the Śravaṇa constellation, it is remembered as exceedingly conducive to supreme welfare.”

Speakers

• Narrative voice within Adhyāya 53’s tīrtha-māhātmya
• explaining the special calendrical conjunction for heightened merit.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (implicit through Dvādaśī observance)

Key Themes

• Auspicious time (kāla) for rites
• Vrata/śrāddha calendrics
• Amplification of merit through conjunctions (tithi–vāra–nakṣatra)
• Śreyas (highest welfare)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Dvādaśī singled out as especially meritorious?

Across Purāṇic and Smārta traditions, Dvādaśī is strongly associated with Viṣṇu-oriented observances and with the completion/fruit of Ekādaśī-related disciplines. In māhātmya contexts, it becomes a privileged tithi for dāna, vrata, and śrāddha acts.

What is the significance of combining tithi (Dvādaśī), weekday (Budha), and nakṣatra (Śravaṇa)?

Purāṇic calendrics often treat such triple conjunctions as ‘yoga-like’ amplifiers of ritual efficacy. The verse asserts that when these markers coincide, the resulting time is ‘ati-śreyaskarī’—especially productive of spiritual welfare and auspicious outcomes.

Does ‘Prauṣṭhapada’ here equal Bhādrapada?

In many traditional month-namings, Prauṣṭhapada corresponds to Bhādrapada (or overlaps depending on regional reckoning). The verse’s intent is to locate the observance in that seasonal-lunar window, not to debate nomenclature.