Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 86

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

Devanagari script

पतता वासुदेवेन दानवोपरि नारद त्रिंशद्योजनसाहस्री भूमेर्गर्ता दृढीकृता

Transliteration

patatā vāsudevena dānavopari nārada triṃśadyojanasāhasrī bhūmergartā dṛḍhīkṛtā

Translation

Wahai Nārada, ketika Vāsudeva jatuh menimpa sang Dānava, terbentuklah sebuah lubang yang kokoh di bumi, berukuran tiga puluh ribu yojana.

Speakers

• Narrator (traditionally Pulastya) addressing Nārada (vocative ‘nārada’ in the verse)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vāsudeva)

Key Themes

• Divine intervention against Daityas/Dānavas
• Cosmic-scale geography and measurement (yojana)
• Protection of the worlds through avatāric power

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘thirty thousand yojanas’ signify here—literal geography or epic hyperbole?

Purāṇic narration frequently uses yojana-measures to convey cosmic magnitude rather than cartographic precision. Here it signals that the event is world-shaping: the Lord’s descent produces a vast, stabilized chasm, emphasizing divine sovereignty over terrestrial form.

Is this verse tied to a specific tīrtha or named place in the Vāmana Purāṇa’s geography?

Not in this line. The verse only mentions ‘bhūmi’ (earth) and a ‘gartā’ (pit). If the surrounding chapter later names a site, this pit may become etiological (explaining a landmark), but verse 86 itself contains no explicit toponym.

Why is Nārada addressed here?

The vocative ‘nārada’ marks the didactic frame: a sage-to-sage transmission. It also cues the listener that the account is being narrated as authoritative sacred history (itihāsa-purāṇa style), not merely as a standalone myth.