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

“When these words had been spoken, that brother of mine—filled with anger—lifted me up and threw me into this river, for that reason (i.e., on account of this matter).”

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.