Vedaśarma

Vedaśarma · veda-śarman

Vedaśarma is the second of the five sons of Śivaśarma, a brāhmaṇa householder of Dvārakā, in the Bhūmi Khaṇḍa of the Padma Purāṇa. The sons were tested one by one for pitṛ-bhakti (devotion to the father). Vedaśarma’s test was the hardest of all the brothers’ tests: he gave his own life.

The test of self-sacrifice

A woman, sent through Śivaśarma’s own plan, came to Vedaśarma. She put her request in terms of honouring his father. The request was that Vedaśarma give up his own life. From any view other than the full priority of pitṛ-sevā (service to the father), the demand was beyond reason. Vedaśarma took the request in the light of pitṛ-bhakti and acted without hesitation.

He cut off his own head. The Bhūmi Khaṇḍa does not show this as a sad death. It shows it as a son’s full surrender to his father’s purpose. His elder brother Yajñaśarma had shown that the father’s ājñā (command) stands above apparent limits of dharma. Vedaśarma showed that it stands above life itself (Padma Purāṇa, Bhūmi Khaṇḍa, chapter 1).

Brought back to life by Dharmaśarma

Vedaśarma’s death did not last. His younger brother Dharmaśarma found him dead, did tapas and called Yamadharmarāja himself. Yama offered him any vara (a boon). Dharmaśarma asked only for firm pitṛ-bhakti and for Vedaśarma’s life to be given back. Yama granted both. Vedaśarma came back to life, and the series of tests of pitṛ-bhakti went on (Padma Purāṇa, Bhūmi Khaṇḍa, chapter 2).

Ascent to Vishṇuloka

With his life restored, Vedaśarma went up to Vishṇuloka with Yajñaśarma, Dharmaśarma and Vishṇuśarma, after the brothers had completed their tests (Padma Purāṇa, Bhūmi Khaṇḍa, chapters 1–5).

Sources

• Padma Purāṇa, Bhūmi Khaṇḍa, chapters 1–5