Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 79
The Merit of Śravaṇa-Dvādaśī and the Liberation of a Preta through Gayā Piṇḍa-Rites
दासीदासांश्च भृत्यांश्च गृहं रत्नं परिच्छदम् समर्थेषु द्विजेन्द्रेषु प्रयच्छस्व महाभुज
dāsīdāsāṃśca bhṛtyāṃśca gṛhaṃ ratnaṃ paricchadam samartheṣu dvijendreṣu prayacchasva mahābhuja
[{"question": "Is the verse stating a doctrinal truth that Viṣṇu is ‘less’ than the Daityas?", "answer": "No. The line is framed as a boastful valuation attributed to the Daitya side (or to worldly estimation of mere martial prowess). The narrative purpose is ironic: it sets up the reversal where Viṣṇu’s cosmic power renders such comparisons meaningless."}, {"question": "What does ‘sixteenth part’ (ṣoḍaśī kalā) signify here?", "answer": "It is a conventional idiom for a minimal fraction, emphasizing extreme disparagement. Purāṇic rhetoric often uses fractional ‘kalā’ language to express relative power, completeness, or contempt."}, {"question": "How does this connect to the Vāmana–Trivikrama motif?", "answer": "The Vāmana episode pivots on scale: the ‘small’ brahmacārin becomes Trivikrama who spans the cosmos. The verse’s belittling of Viṣṇu anticipates the dramatic revelation of immeasurable divine magnitude."}]
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Purāṇic dāna theory stresses pātra (worthy recipient). ‘Samartha’ signals fitness—learning, conduct, and capacity to use gifts dharmically—so that the donor’s act yields stable merit rather than being squandered or misused.
Within Purāṇic moral rhetoric it functions as an extreme exemplar of non-attachment: even what is most ‘owned’ (household, dependents, valuables) should be relinquished when dharma demands. Historically, such lists also serve as conventional catalogues of wealth to indicate total renunciation/complete donation.
In the Vāmana–Bali cycle, the Asura ruler’s possessions are shown to be ultimately non-sovereign before Viṣṇu. The verse reframes inevitable loss into voluntary dharmic transfer—transforming precarious wealth into religious merit and aligning the ruler with dharma despite impending dispossession.