Vamana Purana — Akhanda Ekadashi Vrata, Shloka 26

Akhaṇḍa-Ekādaśī Vrata and the Vaiṣṇava Protective Hymn; Prelude to the Kātyāyanī–Mahiṣāsura Narrative

Devanagari script

नमो नमस्ते गोविन्द चक्रं गृह्य सुदर्शनम् प्राच्यां रक्षस्व मां विष्णो त्वामाहं शरणं गतः

Transliteration

namo namaste govinda cakraṃ gṛhya sudarśanam prācyāṃ rakṣasva māṃ viṣṇo tvāmāhaṃ śaraṇaṃ gataḥ

Translation

“Homage, homage to you, Govinda. Taking up the Sudarśana discus, protect me in the eastern direction. O Viṣṇu, I have taken refuge in you.”

Word by Word

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (नमः-शब्दः), interjection of salutation

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya, repetition for emphasis

• te: to you
• te: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Dative (चतुर्थी), Singular

• govinda: O Govinda
• govinda: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: govinda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular

• cakram: discus
• cakram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular

• gṛhya: having taken / taking up
• gṛhya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: grah (धातु) + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त), ‘having taken/holding’

• sudarśanam: Sudarśana (the auspicious discus)
• sudarśanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular; name of the discus; compound: su (good) + darśana (sight/appearance)

• prācyām: in the east
• prācyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prācī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (सप्तमी), Singular

• rakṣasva: protect
• rakṣasva: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ (लोट्, imperative), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular, Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular

• viṣṇo: O Viṣṇu
• viṣṇo: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Accusative, Singular

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular

• śaraṇam: refuge
• śaraṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular; used with √gam ‘to take refuge’

• gataḥ: gone; having resorted to
• gataḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past active participle (कर्तरि भूतकृदन्त/क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Singular; agrees with aham

Speakers

• Primary frame likely Pulastya to Nārada; the verse itself is a recitable mantra for the devotee

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Vaishnavism
• Bhakti
• Vrata/Rituals
• Protective Mantras
• Śaraṇāgati (Surrender)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The ethical center is śaraṇāgati: protection is sought through humility and refuge in the divine, not through arrogance or self-sufficiency.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Not sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa; it is purāṇic praxis (ācāra) embedded in narrative instruction, typical of later purāṇic layers that teach devotion and ritual safeguards.

What is the symbolic significance?

Sudarśana represents discriminating divine order that cuts through chaos; placing it in the East aligns protection with beginnings, illumination, and right orientation.