Vamana Purana — Nakshatra-Purusha Vrata, Shloka 7

The Nakshatra-Purusha Vrata: Worship of Vishnu’s Body as the Constellations

Devanagari script

तस्यां स्नात्वा समभ्यर्च्य देवदेवं द्विजप्रियम् उपवासी इरावत्यां ददर्श परमेश्वरम्

Transliteration

tasyāṃ snātvā samabhyarcya devadevaṃ dvijapriyam upavāsī irāvatyāṃ dadarśa parameśvaram

Translation

[{"question": "Why would being cursed be called ‘good’?", "answer": "In Purāṇic ethics, a curse from a legitimate authority can function as moral correction and karmic resolution. Calling it ‘good’ signals acceptance of dharma and recognition that discipline can purify pride and attachment."}, {"question": "What does ‘not fearing loss of kingdom’ imply in the Bali narrative?", "answer": "It anticipates Bali’s willingness to relinquish worldly sovereignty under divine pressure (Vāmana/Trivikrama). The verse highlights inner sovereignty—steadfastness and honor—over external rule."}, {"question": "Does ‘parebhyaḥ’ mean enemies or cosmic powers?", "answer": "It can include both: worldly opponents and superior forces. In this episode, it rhetorically contrasts ordinary threats with the larger dharmic ordeal unfolding, asserting that the speaker’s resolve is not contingent on political fortune."}]

Speakers

• Narratorial voice continuing the pilgrimage description.

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Tirtha Yatra (river-to-river movement)
• Snāna and arcana as paired rites
• Upavāsa (fasting) as intensifier of merit
• Śiva as Devadeva and patron of dvijas

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘tasyām’ most naturally refer to in this sequence?

Given the immediately preceding mention of Vipāśā (‘vipāśām abhito yayau’), ‘tasyām snātvā’ most naturally means ‘having bathed in that (Vipāśā)’. The verse then shifts to Irāvatī as the next locus of darśana.

Why mention ‘dvijapriya’ (beloved of the twice-born) for Devadeva?

It frames the tīrtha practice as Vedic-orthoprax: bathing, worship, and fasting are presented as acts aligned with dvija discipline. The epithet also signals Śiva’s acceptance of Vedic worshippers, a common Purāṇic bridge between Śaiva devotion and Brahmanical ritual culture.

Is ‘Parameśvara’ here Śiva or Viṣṇu?

In isolation it can denote either, but the immediate epithets ‘Devadeva’ and ‘dvijapriya’ and the prior verse’s explicit ‘Śiva’ make the referent Śiva in this passage, describing a Śaiva shrine or manifestation at/near the Irāvatī.