Vamana Purana — Caturmasya Observances, Shloka 5
The Cāturmāsya Observances and the Sleeping–Awakening Cycle of the Gods (Hari–Hara Worship)
पुलस्त्य उवाच ततः सुकेशिवचनात् सर्व एव निशाचराः त्रयोदशाङ्गं ते धर्म चक्रुर्मुदितमानसाः
pulastya uvāca tataḥ sukeśivacanāt sarva eva niśācarāḥ trayodaśāṅgaṃ te dharma cakrurmuditamānasāḥ
Pulastya said: Then, at Sukeśī’s instruction, all the night-rangers (Rākṣasas) together established a dharma consisting of thirteen parts, with delighted minds.
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FAQs
Even groups portrayed as antagonistic (Rākṣasas) are shown as capable of instituting a structured dharma. The verse implies that order, norms, and self-regulation are prerequisites for collective flourishing—dharma here functions as social architecture, not merely piety.
Primarily Vamśānucarita (accounts of lineages and their conduct). It also touches on secondary dharma-nirūpaṇa (norm-setting) as part of describing how a community stabilizes and grows.
“Thirteen-limbed dharma” symbolizes completeness and institutional maturity: the community moves from mere existence to a codified, multi-faceted order. The Purāṇic motif often uses such numbered ‘limbs’ to signal a comprehensive framework of duties and restraints.