Vamana Purana — Nakshatra-Purusha Vrata, Shloka 63

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

Devanagari script

यत् त्वया तात कर्त्तव्यं मद्धितार्थं महामते कथयिष्यामि तत् सम्यक् तव श्रेयस्करं मम

Transliteration

yat tvayā tāta karttavyaṃ maddhitārthaṃ mahāmate kathayiṣyāmi tat samyak tava śreyaskaraṃ mama

Translation

रुरोदाथ ततो बाल्यात् पोयऽर्थि चातको यथा तं माता रुदती प्राह बाष्पगद्गदया गिरा

Speakers

• Pretapāla addressing the merchant’s son; the narration is framed with Nārada as listener.

Key Themes

• Reciprocity of merit in śrāddha (benefit to performer and departed)
• Ritual duty (kartavya) as dharma
• Instructional frame typical of tīrtha-mahātmya sections

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the doctrinal point of ‘benefit to you and to me’?

Purāṇic śrāddha teaching commonly asserts dual fruit: the departed gains relief/advancement, while the living gains puṇya (merit), longevity, or auspiciousness. The verse explicitly frames the rite as mutually welfare-producing (śreyaskara).

Is ‘mad-dhita-artham’ only selfishness on the preta’s part?

Not in a moralizing sense; it signals the preta’s need for completion of rites. In these narratives, the departed is dependent upon the living for offerings and tīrtha-based acts that facilitate transition and peace.

What kind of act is being prepared for in the next verse?

The next śloka specifies bathing at Gayā and performing piṇḍa-nirvapaṇa (offering of rice-balls) while invoking the relevant name—standard śrāddha procedure in a famed ancestral tīrtha.