Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 28

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

Devanagari script

कथं तु कर्मणा केन गम्यते दानवर्षभाः कथं तत्र सहस्राक्षः संप्राप्तः सह दैवतैः

Transliteration

kathaṃ tu karmaṇā kena gamyate dānavarṣabhāḥ kathaṃ tatra sahasrākṣaḥ saṃprāptaḥ saha daivataiḥ

Translation

“But by what act, and by what kind of rite, is that (state/goal) attained, O bulls among the Dānavas? And how did Sahasrākṣa (Indra) arrive there together with the gods?”

Speakers

• Unspecified speaker (narrative voice) questioning the Dānava leaders; context implies an inquiry within the Daitya–Deva narrative frame.

Primary Deities

• Indra

Key Themes

• Karma and attainment (gati)
• Deva–Daitya narrative inquiry
• Ritual causality

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is being asked in this verse—‘attained’ where?

The verse frames a doctrinal question typical of Purāṇic narration: by what karma (ritual act or meritorious deed) a particular ‘gati’ (attainment/state) is reached, and how Indra and the gods came to be present there. The precise ‘there’ (tatra) is clarified by the surrounding verses, which point toward a Brahma-world/Brahma-assembly type attainment (brahmasadogatiḥ).

Why are the Dānavas addressed as ‘dānava-varṣabhāḥ’?

It is a conventional epic-Purāṇic vocative meaning ‘best/bull among the Dānavas,’ used even for adversarial groups to mark status and to heighten the rhetorical gravity of the inquiry.

Does this verse contain geographical (tīrtha) data?

No. Despite the Vāmana Purāṇa’s strong geographical orientation, this particular śloka is narrative-philosophical and does not name any tīrtha, river, or region.