Vamana Purana — Sukesha's Boon & Twelve Dharmas, Shloka 30
Sukesha’s Boon, the Twelve Dharmas of Beings, and the Cosmography of the Seven Dvipas with the Twenty-One Hells
ऋषय ऊचुः शृणुष्व मनुजादीनां धर्मास्तु क्षणदाचर ये वसन्ति महीपृष्ठे नरा द्वीपेषु सप्तसु
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ śṛṇuṣva manujādīnāṃ dharmāstu kṣaṇadācara ye vasanti mahīpṛṣṭhe narā dvīpeṣu saptasu
Les Ṛṣis dirent : Écoute, ô rôdeur de la nuit (kṣaṇadācara), les dharmas des humains et des êtres semblables—de ces hommes qui demeurent à la surface de la terre, dans les sept dvīpas.
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Ethical instruction is universalizable across human societies (‘seven dvīpas’), implying dharma as a cosmic norm applicable wherever humans dwell, not confined to a single region or tribe.
Touches Sarga/Pratisarga through cosmography (sapta-dvīpa framework) while serving as a preface to Ācāra (conduct) teaching—Purāṇas often blend cosmology with dharma exposition.
Addressing a rākṣasa as the listener underscores that knowledge of dharma is not restricted by birth; even those stereotyped as adhārmic are positioned as capable recipients of ethical teaching.