Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 60

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

Devanagari script

नेत्रभास इति ख्यातो ज्येष्ठो भ्राता ममासुर मम नाम पिता चक्रे गतिभासेति कौतुकात्

Transliteration

netrabhāsa iti khyāto jyeṣṭho bhrātā mamāsura mama nāma pitā cakre gatibhāseti kautukāt

Translation

{"location": "Irāvatī riverbank", "location_type": "nadi", "region": "Northwest Bhārata (Irāvatī/Ravi identification in many classical sources; here as a tīrtha node in Saroma-māhātmya)", "sacred_significance": "Tīrtha setting where worship of Jagannātha as rūpadhārin (manifest form) yields transformative merit; Nakṣatra-Puruṣa indicates astral-sacral mapping of devotion.", "cosmic_realm": "bhuloka"}

Word by Word

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Speakers

• Same unnamed Asura narrator continuing to speak to an unnamed listener

Key Themes

• Asura genealogy
• Name-etymology and characterization
• Narrative self-positioning

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "hasya", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the significance of the names Netrabhāsa and Gatibhāsa?

Both names are built on bhāsa (‘shine, radiance’), suggesting a thematic pairing: Netrabhāsa (‘radiance of the eyes/vision’) and Gatibhāsa (‘radiance of movement/trajectory’). Purāṇic narratives often use such names to foreshadow traits—perception/vision for one, speed/agency or ‘course of destiny’ for the other.

Why does the verse say the father named him ‘kautukāt’?

Kautuka indicates a light, whimsical motive—‘out of amusement’—which can subtly imply that the naming is not solemnly ritualized but narrative and character-driven, sometimes hinting at irony or later reversal of fortune.

Are any deities or sacred places invoked here?

No. The verse is confined to familial identification and naming; it contains no explicit deity-invocation or tīrtha geography.