Vamana Purana — Nakshatra-Purusha Vrata, Shloka 66

The Nakshatra-Purusha Vrata: Worship of Vishnu’s Body as the Constellations

Devanagari script

यथेयं द्वादशी पुण्या मासि प्रौष्ठपदे सिता बुधश्रवणसंयुक्ता सातिश्रेयस्करी स्मृता

Transliteration

yatheyaṃ dvādaśī puṇyā māsi prauṣṭhapade sitā budhaśravaṇasaṃyuktā sātiśreyaskarī smṛtā

Translation

ఇలా ఈ ద్వాదశి పుణ్యదాయకమైనది—ప్రౌష్ఠపద మాసములో శుక్లపక్షమున; అది బుధవారముతోను శ్రవణ నక్షత్రముతోను సంయుక్తమైతే అత్యంత శ్రేయస్కరమని స్మరించబడుతుంది.

Speakers

• Narrative voice within Adhyāya 53’s tīrtha-māhātmya
• explaining the special calendrical conjunction for heightened merit.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (implicit through Dvādaśī observance)

Key Themes

• Auspicious time (kāla) for rites
• Vrata/śrāddha calendrics
• Amplification of merit through conjunctions (tithi–vāra–nakṣatra)
• Śreyas (highest welfare)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Dvādaśī singled out as especially meritorious?

Across Purāṇic and Smārta traditions, Dvādaśī is strongly associated with Viṣṇu-oriented observances and with the completion/fruit of Ekādaśī-related disciplines. In māhātmya contexts, it becomes a privileged tithi for dāna, vrata, and śrāddha acts.

What is the significance of combining tithi (Dvādaśī), weekday (Budha), and nakṣatra (Śravaṇa)?

Purāṇic calendrics often treat such triple conjunctions as ‘yoga-like’ amplifiers of ritual efficacy. The verse asserts that when these markers coincide, the resulting time is ‘ati-śreyaskarī’—especially productive of spiritual welfare and auspicious outcomes.

Does ‘Prauṣṭhapada’ here equal Bhādrapada?

In many traditional month-namings, Prauṣṭhapada corresponds to Bhādrapada (or overlaps depending on regional reckoning). The verse’s intent is to locate the observance in that seasonal-lunar window, not to debate nomenclature.