Vamana Purana — Nakshatra-Purusha Vrata, Shloka 16

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

Devanagari script

ततः स हृतसर्वस्वो वणिग् गुःखसमन्वितः असहायो मरौ तस्मिंश् चचारोन्मत्तवद् वशी

Transliteration

tataḥ sa hṛtasarvasvo vaṇig guḥkhasamanvitaḥ asahāyo marau tasmiṃś cacāronmattavad vaśī

Translation

پھر وہ تاجر اپنا سب کچھ لُٹ جانے سے غم میں ڈوب گیا۔ بےیار و مددگار، اسی ریگستان میں وہ بےبس ہو کر دیوانے کی طرح بھٹکتا رہا۔

Speakers

• Narratorial voice within the Saromāhātmya section (speaker-to-listener not specified in the provided excerpt)

Key Themes

• Loss of wealth and social support
• Human helplessness as prelude to sacred refuge
• Psychological collapse (unmattavat) in liminal geography

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the narrative function of ‘hṛtasarvasva’ (robbed of everything)?

Total loss removes worldly recourse and makes the forthcoming turn to a sacred place (tīrtha) or deity not optional but existential—demonstrating the Purāṇic theme that dharma and divine refuge remain when material supports collapse.

Why describe him as ‘unmattavat’ (like a madman)?

It conveys trauma and disorientation in a hostile landscape; such language intensifies the contrast when order, protection, or insight is later restored through sacred encounter.

Does ‘vaśī’ here mean ‘self-controlled’ or ‘helpless’?

In this context it is best read as ‘powerless/at the mercy (of circumstances),’ contrasting with the usual sense of mastery. The merchant is not a yogic vaśī but a person overwhelmed by fate and fear.