Vamana Purana — Vishnu's Sleep (Ashunya-Shayana), Shloka 26

The Caturmasya Observances and the Rite of Vishnu’s Sleep (Aśūnya-Śayana) and Shiva’s Monthly Vows

Devanagari script

अनेन तु विधानेन चातुर्मास्यव्रतं चरेत् यावद् चवृश्चिकराशिस्थः प्रतिभाति दिवाकरः

Transliteration

anena tu vidhānena cāturmāsyavrataṃ caret yāvad cavṛścikarāśisthaḥ pratibhāti divākaraḥ

Translation

ഈ വിധാനപ്രകാരം ചാതുർമാസ്യവ്രതം ആചരിക്കണം; സൂര്യൻ വൃശ്ചികരാശിയിൽ സ്ഥിതനായി പ്രകാശിക്കുന്നതുവരെ।

Word by Word

• anena: by this
• anena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; ‘by this’

• tu: indeed / but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle, contrast/emphasis)

• vidhānena: by the procedure
• vidhānena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• cāturmāsya-vratam: the Cāturmāsya vow
• cāturmāsya-vratam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāturmāsya (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः: चातुर्मास्यं (four-month period) सम्बन्धि व्रतम्

• caret: should observe
• caret: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘should practice/observe’

• yāvat: until
• yāvat: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/सीमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction/adverb) ‘until/as long as’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• vṛścika-rāśi-sthaḥ: situated in Scorpio (zodiac sign)
• vṛścika-rāśi-sthaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛścika (प्रातिपदिक) + rāśi (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् for ‘divākaraḥ’; समासः: वृष्चिकराशौ स्थितः

• pratibhāti: shines / appears
• pratibhāti: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati+bhā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• divākaraḥ: the Sun
• divākaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divākara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada (dialogue framework; speaker attribution typical for this Purāṇa section)

Primary Deities

• Sūrya

Key Themes

• Vrata/Rituals
• Dharma (observance and discipline)
• Sacred time (kāla-vidhi)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Dharma is practiced through regulated discipline: the vow is not merely intention but sustained observance aligned with sacred time (kāla), emphasizing steadiness (niyama) and completion (pūraṇa) rather than sporadic piety.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is best classified under ācāra/dharma-nirdeśa material (often embedded within Purāṇas though not one of the five strict lakṣaṇas). It is not sarga/pratisarga/vamśa/vamśānucarita/manvantara narration but prescriptive vrata-vidhi.

What is the symbolic significance?

Linking the vow’s endpoint to the Sun’s transit (Scorpio) sacralizes cosmic order: personal restraint mirrors celestial regularity, making the practitioner’s life a microcosm aligned to the macrocosm.