Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 25

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

Devanagari script

यस्य वेदध्वनिं श्रुत्वा विकसन्ति सु रादयः संकोचमसुरा यान्ति ये च तेषां सधर्मिणः

Transliteration

yasya vedadhvaniṃ śrutvā vikasanti su rādayaḥ saṃkocamasurā yānti ye ca teṣāṃ sadharmiṇaḥ

Translation

bhīṣaṇa-karmakāra: doers of terrible deeds, violent/harsh actors; pulinda: ‘Pulinda’ (a named tribal/forest people in Purāṇic ethnogeography); pāpa-saṁbhava: arising from sin, sin-born (aetiological/etiological origin claim); vasadhvam: dwell, settle; antara: the space between, intermediate tract; adri: mountain; himādri: ‘snow-mountain’ (Himālaya); kāliñjara: Kāliñjara mountain/region (noted in central-north Indian sacred geography).

Speakers

• Unspecified advisers/elders addressing Dhundhu (context: warning speech to the Danava)

Primary Deities

• Brahma (implied by the Vairāja realm context)

Key Themes

• Power of Vedic sound (śabda-brahman)
• Asuric aversion to Vedic order
• Moral psychology: expansion of the righteous vs contraction of the unrighteous

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is meant by “Vedic sound” causing the righteous to ‘blossom’?

The verse treats Vedic recitation as a manifestation of sacred order (ṛta/dharma). Those aligned with dharma experience uplift and expansion (vikāsa), while those opposed to it experience fear, diminution, or loss of potency (saṃkoca).

Who are ‘those sharing their disposition’ (teṣāṃ sadharmiṇaḥ)?

Not only Asuras by birth, but any beings who adopt an Asuric orientation—hostility to sacrifice, Veda, and cosmic hierarchy—are included. The term broadens the moral category beyond lineage.

Is this a sectarian claim (Devas vs Asuras) or a dharmic principle?

The framing is ethical-metaphysical: Vedic sound symbolizes alignment with cosmic law. The ‘Deva/Asura’ polarity functions as a typology of dispositions rather than merely a tribal conflict.