Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 12

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

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच श्रूयतां कथियिष्यामि यो ऽयं प्रोक्तस्त्रिविक्रमः यस्मिन् काले संबभूव यं च वञ्चितवानसौ

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca śrūyatāṃ kathiyiṣyāmi yo 'yaṃ proktastrivikramaḥ yasmin kāle saṃbabhūva yaṃ ca vañcitavānasau

Translation

پلستیہ نے کہا—سنو؛ میں اسی تری وِکرم کا حال بیان کروں گا جس کا ذکر ہوا ہے—وہ کس زمانے میں ظاہر ہوا اور اس نے کس کو فریب دیا۔

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Purāṇic narration formula (śrūyatām)
• Mythic historiography (time of manifestation)
• Divine māyā/strategic ‘deception’ (vañcana) in service of dharma
• Transition into the Trivikrama episode

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

How should “vañcitavān” (deceived) be understood in a dharmic text?

In Purāṇic ethics, ‘deception’ here typically means a divine stratagem (upāya) used to restore cosmic balance—e.g., accepting a boon/gift in a way that lawfully limits an overreaching power—rather than immoral trickery.

What does “yasmin kāle saṃbabhūva” imply about avatāra manifestation?

It frames the avatāra as a temporally locatable epiphany within cosmic time (yuga/manvantara logic), even while the deity is eternal; the narrative will specify the contextual ‘when’ to situate the episode in sacred history.

Why does Pulastya begin with “śrūyatām”?

It is a conventional marker of authoritative transmission in Purāṇas, signaling a formal, lineage-based narration where attentive listening is itself part of the religious act (śravaṇa) that conveys merit and understanding.