Vamana Purana — Sukesha's Boon & Twelve Dharmas, Shloka 12
Sukesha’s Boon, the Twelve Dharmas of Beings, and the Cosmography of the Seven Dvipas with the Twenty-One Hells
ऋष ऊचुः श्रूयतां कथयिष्यामस्तव राक्षसपुङ्गव यद्धि श्रेयो भवेद् वीर इह चामुत्र चाव्ययम्
ṛṣa ūcuḥ śrūyatāṃ kathayiṣyāmastava rākṣasapuṅgava yaddhi śreyo bhaved vīra iha cāmutra cāvyayam
The sages said: “Listen; we shall tell you, O foremost of the Rākṣasas, what indeed constitutes the highest good, O hero—(that good) which is imperishable both here and in the hereafter.”
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FAQs
True ‘śreyas’ is defined as ‘avyaya’—not exhausted by time, death, or circumstance. The sages imply that the best human pursuit is that which yields stable good across both domains (worldly life and post-mortem destiny), typically grounded in dharma and inner virtue.
This is didactic instruction (dharma/ācāra) embedded in a dialogue narrative. It is not directly sarga/pratisarga; it functions as teaching within the Purāṇic kathā framework that often accompanies vaṃśānucarita and moral exempla.
Addressing a ‘rākṣasa-puṅgava’ symbolically broadens dharma beyond caste/species boundaries: spiritual welfare is presented as universal and teachable. ‘Avyaya’ hints at a movement from transient achievements to enduring merit/realization.