Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 76

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

Devanagari script

दास्ते गृहं हिरण्यं च वाजिनः स्यन्दनान् गजान् प्रयच्छाम्यद्य भवतो व्रियतामीप्सितं विभो

Transliteration

dāste gṛhaṃ hiraṇyaṃ ca vājinaḥ syandanān gajān prayacchāmyadya bhavato vriyatāmīpsitaṃ vibho

Translation

{"bhagavata_parallel": "Bhagavata Purana 8.19.24–8.20 (Vamana’s measured request and the moral framing of Bali’s act)", "vishnu_purana_parallel": "Vishnu Purana 1.17 (Vamana’s interaction and the shift from lavish offers to the specific request)", "ramayana_connection": null, "mahabharata_echo": "Mahabharata 12 (hita-vacana and rajadharma: counsel aimed at true good)", "other_puranas": ["Narada Purana (discourses on hita and dharma)", "Skanda Purana (didactic speeches in tirtha-mahatmya contexts)"], "vedic_reference": "Katha Upanishad 1.2 (shreyas vs preyas—true good vs pleasant; thematic parallel to ‘true welfare’ speech)"}

Speakers

• Bali addressing the Brahmin petitioner(s) (dvijas)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vamana—contextual)
• Bali

Key Themes

• Dana (charity)
• Royal resources as sacrificial merit
• Hospitality and patronage
• Material abundance offered for religious ends

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the significance of listing horses, chariots, and elephants?

These are classic emblems of royal power and wealth (rājya-śrī). By offering them freely, Bali demonstrates that his dāna is not marginal but touches the very instruments of sovereignty.

How should “vibho” be understood here?

In this context it functions as a respectful vocative—“venerable/mighty sir”—addressed to the Brahmin recipient. In avatāra narratives, such honorifics can also carry dramatic irony when the ‘Brahmin’ is Vishnu in disguise, though that identification is not explicit in this verse.

Does this verse contribute to the Vāmana Purāṇa’s sacred geography?

No. It is a gift-enumeration verse within the Bali narrative and contains no explicit toponyms (rivers, tirthas, forests, or regions).