Vamana Purana — Nakshatra-Purusha Vrata, Shloka 20

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

Devanagari script

उद्वाह्यन्तमथान्येन प्रेतेन प्रेतनायकम् पिण्डाशिभिश्च पुरतो धावद्भी रूक्षविग्रहैः

Transliteration

udvāhyantamathānyena pretena pretanāyakam piṇḍāśibhiśca purato dhāvadbhī rūkṣavigrahaiḥ

Translation

แล้วเขาเห็นหัวหน้าแห่งเปรตกำลังถูกเปรตอีกตนหนึ่งหามพาไป; เบื้องหน้ามีเหล่าเปรตผู้กินปิณฑะวิ่งนำไป ร่างกายซูบแห้งหยาบกร้านน่าหวาดหวั่น।

Speakers

• Narratorial voice (context not provided in prompt; verse is descriptive narration within Adhyaya 53).

Key Themes

• Preta condition and post-mortem suffering
• Ritual economy of piṇḍa (funeral offerings)
• Moral causality (karma) implied through imagery

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are the pretas described as 'piṇḍāśibhiḥ' (eaters of piṇḍas)?

The term points to the funerary-ritual framework: piṇḍa offerings are central to śrāddha and preta-related rites. Calling them 'piṇḍa-eaters' evokes a liminal state where spirits are sustained (or obsessed) by offerings, underscoring the importance of proper ancestral rites and the consequences of their neglect.

What does the imagery of 'rūkṣa-vigrahaiḥ' convey in Purāṇic narrative?

Gaunt, harsh-bodied forms are a conventional Purāṇic marker of deprivation and suffering in the preta condition. It signals a state of lack—of nourishment, merit, and ritual completion—often remedied in narratives through dharma, charity, pilgrimage, or correct rites.

Is 'pretanāyaka' a theological figure or a narrative role?

Here it functions primarily as a narrative role—an internal hierarchy among pretas—rather than a deity. Such hierarchy dramatizes the preta-world as an ordered (though afflicted) domain, making the moral lesson more vivid.