Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 64

Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti

Devanagari script

गदापाणिं समायान्तं दैत्यं नारायणस्तदा दृष्ट्वाथ पृष्ठतश्चक्रे नरं योद्धूमनाः स्वयम्

Transliteration

gadāpāṇiṃ samāyāntaṃ daityaṃ nārāyaṇastadā dṛṣṭvātha pṛṣṭhataścakre naraṃ yoddhūmanāḥ svayam

Translation

Then Nārāyaṇa, seeing the Daitya approaching with a mace in his hand, placed Nara behind him and himself, intent on fighting, prepared (to face the attack).

Word by Word

• gadā-pāṇim: the mace-bearer
• gadā-pāṇim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gadā (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष: gadāyāḥ pāṇiḥ / gadāṃ pāṇau yasya (sense ‘mace-in-hand’) used as epithet

• samāyāntam: approaching
• samāyāntam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ā-√yā (धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग) Accusative (द्वितीया) singular (एकवचन); qualifies daityam

• daityam: the Daitya
• daityam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) singular (एकवचन)

• nārāyaṇaḥ: Nārāyaṇa
• nārāyaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) singular (एकवचन)

• tadā: at that time
• tadā: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), temporal adverb (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वा), gerund (अव्ययभाव)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), particle (निपात)

• pṛṣṭhataḥ: from behind
• pṛṣṭhataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pṛṣṭhatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) ‘from behind/at the back’

• cakre: made/placed
• cakre: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ (लिट्, perfect), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष) singular (एकवचन)

• naram: Nara
• naram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) singular (एकवचन)

• yoddhum: to fight
• yoddhum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yudh (धातु)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमुन्)

• manāḥ: (having) intention/mind
• manāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) singular (एकवचन); used as bahuvrīhi-like predicate with yoddhum: ‘having the mind to fight’

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), reflexive/emphatic adverb (स्वार्थ-निपात)

Speakers

• Narrative voice within Pulastya–Nārada frame (explicit speaker not marked in this verse excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Nārāyaṇa)

Key Themes

• Daitya-Deva Conflict
• Protection of dharma
• Divine strategy
• Vaishnavism

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Dharma is defended not only by power but by discernment and right positioning—Nārāyaṇa’s deliberate arrangement signals controlled, purposeful action rather than impulsive violence.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Primarily Vamśānucarita/Carita-style narrative material (accounts of divine and daitya actors), embedded within the Purāṇic story-flow rather than cosmogenesis (sarga) or dissolution (pralaya).

What is the symbolic significance?

The Nara–Nārāyaṇa pairing symbolizes the inseparability of human spiritual striving (Nara) and divine grace/protection (Nārāyaṇa) in confronting adharma.