Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 60

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

Devanagari script

नेत्रभास इति ख्यातो ज्येष्ठो भ्राता ममासुर मम नाम पिता चक्रे गतिभासेति कौतुकात्

Transliteration

netrabhāsa iti khyāto jyeṣṭho bhrātā mamāsura mama nāma pitā cakre gatibhāseti kautukāt

Translation

[{"question": "What is the geographical significance of ‘Irāvatyāḥ taṭe’ in Vāmana Purāṇa style?", "answer": "The Vāmana Purāṇa frequently anchors religious merit in specific landscapes. Naming the Irāvatī and specifying its bank marks a precise ritual topography: the river is not merely scenery but a conduit of tīrtha-power where worship yields accelerated results."}, {"question": "Who is ‘rūpadhārin’ here—Vishnu, an icon, or a local manifestation?", "answer": "The term can denote the deity as manifest in a particular, approachable form—often implying an installed image (mūrti) or a localized epiphany. In tīrtha narratives, ‘approaching the form-bearer’ commonly means reaching a sanctified shrine or visible manifestation at the site."}, {"question": "How should ‘nakṣatra-puruṣeṇa’ be understood?", "answer": "It points to a mode of worship aligned with the nakṣatras (lunar mansions), envisioning the deity as pervading the stellar order. Such phrasing links local geography (a riverbank shrine) with cosmic geography (the sky mapped as a divine body), a characteristic Purāṇic synthesis."}]

Word by Word

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Speakers

• Same unnamed Asura narrator continuing to speak to an unnamed listener

Key Themes

• Asura genealogy
• Name-etymology and characterization
• Narrative self-positioning

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the significance of the names Netrabhāsa and Gatibhāsa?

Both names are built on bhāsa (‘shine, radiance’), suggesting a thematic pairing: Netrabhāsa (‘radiance of the eyes/vision’) and Gatibhāsa (‘radiance of movement/trajectory’). Purāṇic narratives often use such names to foreshadow traits—perception/vision for one, speed/agency or ‘course of destiny’ for the other.

Why does the verse say the father named him ‘kautukāt’?

Kautuka indicates a light, whimsical motive—‘out of amusement’—which can subtly imply that the naming is not solemnly ritualized but narrative and character-driven, sometimes hinting at irony or later reversal of fortune.

Are any deities or sacred places invoked here?

No. The verse is confined to familial identification and naming; it contains no explicit deity-invocation or tīrtha geography.