Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 47

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

Devanagari script

ऋते पिनाकिनो देवात् त्रात्ऽस्मान् न यतो हरे अतो विवृद्धिमगमद् यथा व्याधिरुपेक्षितः

Transliteration

ṛte pinākino devāt trāt'smān na yato hare ato vivṛddhimagamad yathā vyādhirupekṣitaḥ

Translation

["Brahma (as Brahmaloka’s lord)", "Shukra (asura-guru)", "Vishnu (implicit narrative target of appeal)"]

Speakers

• Narrator/Ṛṣi voice addressing Hari (Viṣṇu)
• in the context of the Devas’ predicament

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Hari)
• Shiva (Pinakin)

Key Themes

• Divine protection
• Asura ascendancy
• Need for intervention
• Shaiva–Vaishnava complementarity (Śiva as Pinākin; Viṣṇu addressed as Hari)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Śiva (Pinākin) mentioned while the verse addresses Hari (Viṣṇu)?

The line frames the crisis as requiring supreme divine protection; Śiva is acknowledged as the Pināka-bearing protector, while Hari is directly invoked as the one who will act within this narrative arc (culminating in Viṣṇu’s avatāra intervention). It reflects a Purāṇic idiom where deities are invoked in complementary roles rather than strict sectarian separation.

What does the ‘disease neglected’ simile convey in Purāṇic political-theological terms?

It depicts unchecked adharma/asuric power as self-amplifying: when not countered by timely dharmic action (divine or royal), it spreads like an untreated illness. The simile justifies the necessity of decisive intervention rather than passive endurance.

Does this verse contain any tirtha or geographic marker typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

No explicit river, lake, forest, or tīrtha is named here; the verse is thematic and rhetorical, setting up the urgency for divine action rather than describing sacred geography.