Vamana Purana — Sukesha's Boon & Twelve Dharmas, Shloka 28

Sukesha’s Boon, the Twelve Dharmas of Beings, and the Cosmography of the Seven Dvipas with the Twenty-One Hells

Devanagari script

योनयो द्वादशैवैतास्तासु धर्माश्च राक्षस ब्रह्मणा कथिताः पुण्या द्वादशैव गतिप्रदाः

Transliteration

yonayo dvādaśaivaitāstāsu dharmāśca rākṣasa brahmaṇā kathitāḥ puṇyā dvādaśaiva gatipradāḥ

Translation

此等确为十二种“生类/胎藏”（yoni，出生方式与种类）。在其中，噢罗刹啊，梵天所宣说之诸法皆具功德；其数亦为十二，并赐予相应之趣（gati，归趣与去处）。

Word by Word

• योनयः: origins/wombs/kinds
• योनयः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Plural)

• द्वादश: twelve
• द्वादश: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या-विशेषण, प्रथमा बहुवचनार्थे (numeral adjective: twelve; agreeing with योनयः)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle: indeed/only)

• एताः: these
• एताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Plural; pronoun)

• तासु: among/in those
• तासु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Feminine, Locative, Plural; pronoun)

• धर्माः: dharmas/qualities
• धर्माः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (and)

• राक्षस: O Rākṣasa
• राक्षस: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• ब्रह्मणा: by Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणा: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular)

• कथिताः: told/declared
• कथिताः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nom, Plural)

• पुण्याः: meritorious/holy
• पुण्याः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; qualifying धर्माः)

• द्वादश: twelve
• द्वादश: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या-विशेषण, प्रथमा बहुवचनार्थे (twelve; qualifying धर्माः)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (indeed)

• गतिप्रदाः: granting a (good) destination
• गतिप्रदाः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गति-प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; qualifying धर्माः)

Speakers

• Narrative speaker (unspecified in these verses) addressing a 'Rākṣasa'; verse introduces Brahmā as the authority who taught these dharmas

Primary Deities

• Brahma

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Karma and gati (destiny)
• Cosmological taxonomy (yoni/species)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Dharma is presented as context-sensitive: different forms of embodied life (yoni) have corresponding norms. Ethical order is not arbitrary but aligned with cosmic structure, and right conduct yields an appropriate gati (destiny/attainment).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Primarily within Sarga/Pratisarga-related material (cosmological structuring of beings) and secondarily within Dharma-śāstra style instruction embedded in Purāṇic narration.

What is the symbolic significance?

The number ‘twelve’ functions as a completeness marker (a full set), implying a total map of embodied conditions and their moral trajectories. Brahmā’s role signals that dharma is grounded in the cosmic lawgiver/creator principle rather than sectarian preference.