Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 26

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

Devanagari script

तस्मान्मा त्वं महाबाहो मतिमेतां समादधः वैराजभुवनं धुन्धो दुरारोहं सदा नृभिः

Transliteration

tasmānmā tvaṃ mahābāho matimetāṃ samādadhaḥ vairājabhuvanaṃ dhundho durārohaṃ sadā nṛbhiḥ

Translation

[{"question": "What is ‘Śravaṇa-dvādaśī’ in this context?", "answer": "It denotes a Dvādaśī (12th lunar day) occurring under (or named after) the Śravaṇa nakṣatra, treated as especially auspicious for vows (vrata), fasting, and tīrtha-bathing in many Purāṇic calendars."}, {"question": "Why does the verse emphasize the month Bhādrapada?", "answer": "Purāṇic tīrtha-māhātmyas often specify ritual efficacy by season/month; Bhādrapada is a late-monsoon period when river confluences are ritually prominent and vrata-days are calendrically highlighted."}, {"question": "Does this verse itself name a place?", "answer": "No explicit river, lake, forest, or tīrtha is named here; the verse functions as a temporal marker leading into the subsequent description of the sangama-bath."}]

Speakers

• Advisers/elders to Dhundhu (direct address)

Primary Deities

• Brahma
• Viraja (cosmic principle/personage implied by Vairāja-bhuvana)

Key Themes

• Cosmic hierarchy and restricted realms
• Warning against hubris (ati-māna)
• Limits of Asuric power before Vedic/cosmic order

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the ‘Vairāja-bhuvana’ in Purāṇic cosmology?

Vairāja-bhuvana denotes a high cosmic station associated with Virāja—the cosmic ordering principle often connected with the universal body and Brahmā’s domain. It signifies a realm protected by tapas, Veda, and hierarchy, not easily penetrated by force.

Why does the verse say it is difficult ‘for mortals’ (nṛbhiḥ) if Dhundhu is a Dānava?

‘Nṛbhiḥ’ can function generically for embodied beings attempting ascent by mere power. The point is that brute strength or conquest does not grant access; qualification (adhikāra) through dharma/tapas is implied.

Is this a moral injunction or a strategic warning?

Both: it discourages adharmic ambition (moral) and signals that the target realm is inherently guarded by Vedic potency and cosmic law (strategic).