Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 58

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

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणो गुणवानासीत् प्रभास इति विश्रुतः सर्वसास्त्रार्थवित् प्राज्ञो गोत्रतश् चापि वारुणः

Transliteration

brāhmaṇo guṇavānāsīt prabhāsa iti viśrutaḥ sarvasāstrārthavit prājño gotrataś cāpi vāruṇaḥ

Translation

പ്രഭാസൻ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധനായ ഒരു ഗുണവാനായ ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു. അവൻ പ്രാജ്ഞൻ, എല്ലാ ശാസ്ത്രാർത്ഥങ്ങളും അറിയുന്നവൻ, ഗോത്രപരമായി വാരുണ ഗോത്രത്തിൽപ്പെട്ടവൻ കൂടിയായിരുന്നു.

Speakers

• Narrative voice (or the brāhmaṇa’s self-account continuing) introducing the brāhmaṇa Prabhāsa to the listeners

Primary Deities

• Varuṇa
• Viṣṇu (Vāmana)

Key Themes

• Brāhmaṇa ideal (learning + virtue)
• Authority through śāstra-knowledge
• Lineage (gotra) as identity marker
• Tīrtha narrative anchored to a name resonant with place

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the text stress ‘sarvaśāstrārthavit’ and ‘prājña’ for this brāhmaṇa?

Such epithets establish credibility and heighten narrative tension: if even a highly learned and virtuous brāhmaṇa suffers a fall/misfortune, the cause is likely weighty—often a subtle dharma lapse, a curse, or an unavoidable karmic fruition, which the tīrtha narrative will unpack.

What is the significance of ‘Vāruṇa gotra’?

Gotra locates a person within a recognized Brahmanical lineage system. ‘Vāruṇa’ links the lineage to Varuṇa (often associated with ṛta, moral order, and waters), which is thematically apt in an episode involving submergence/rescue and a tīrtha setting.

Is ‘Prabhāsa’ here the place or the person?

Grammatically it is a person’s name (‘prabhāsa iti viśrutaḥ’). Yet Purāṇic composition often plays on such overlaps: a person named Prabhāsa within a Prabhāsa-kṣetra cycle can serve as an etymic or symbolic bridge, reinforcing the sanctity and narrative cohesion of the geography-focused section.