Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 66

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

Devanagari script

एवमुक्ते मया सोक्तः किमर्थं पैतृकाद् गृहात् धनार्थभागमर्हामि नाहं न्यायेन केन वै

Transliteration

evamukte mayā soktaḥ kimarthaṃ paitṛkād gṛhāt dhanārthabhāgamarhāmi nāhaṃ nyāyena kena vai

Translation

[{"question": "What is the significance of ‘asyāṃ nadyām’ (“in this river”) if the river is unnamed here?", "answer": "The demonstrative ‘asyām’ indicates the narrator is speaking from a location-specific setting—typical of Purāṇic geography and tīrtha narratives—where the river would be identifiable from surrounding verses (not included). This line often functions as an etiological bridge linking a personal episode to a particular sacred landscape."}, {"question": "How does this verse connect to the prior discussion of ‘bhāga’ (share) and ‘nyāya’ (justice)?", "answer": "It shows the dispute escalating from ethical/legal reasoning into kopa (anger) and physical harm. Purāṇic didactic narratives frequently contrast nyāya-based restraint with passion-driven violence to underscore dharma’s social necessity."}, {"question": "Does ‘kāraṇāt’ imply moral blame or merely narrative causation?", "answer": "Primarily causation—‘because of that matter’—but in Purāṇic style it also hints at moral diagnosis: anger and attachment to wealth/property become the causal roots of adharma (harmful action)."}]

Word by Word

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Speakers

• First-person narrator recounting a dialogue; an unnamed ‘he’ responds to the narrator’s prior statement.

Key Themes

• Inheritance and entitlement (paitṛka, bhāga)
• Nyāya (justice) as a criterion for claims
• Self-questioning / ethical reasoning in disputes

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is the speaker denying his own claim or challenging someone else’s claim?

Grammatically, the ‘he’ (saḥ) asks why he should be entitled to a share from the ancestral house, invoking ‘nyāya’ (justice). In narrative terms, this can function either as genuine self-denial (renunciation of claim) or as a rhetorical challenge exposing that no just basis exists for the claim being asserted.

What does ‘paitṛka gṛha’ imply in dharma literature?

It commonly denotes the paternal/ancestral estate—property tied to lineage. Claims upon it are typically regulated by kinship status and dharma norms; hence the emphasis on ‘bhāga’ (share) and ‘nyāya’ (legal-moral justification).

Why is ‘dhanārthabhāga’ expressed with both dhana and artha?

The compound intensifies the sense of material entitlement: ‘dhana’ (wealth) and ‘artha’ (property/means) together underscore that the dispute concerns substantive assets, not mere subsistence.