Vamana Purana — Trivikrama Theophany, Shloka 10

Vishnu’s Return to Brahmā and the Vāmana–Trivikrama Theophany

Devanagari script

तं दृष्ट्वा पुण्डरीकाक्षं योजनायुतविस्तृतम् तावानेवोर्ध्वामानेन ततो ऽजः प्रणतो ऽभवत्

Transliteration

taṃ dṛṣṭvā puṇḍarīkākṣaṃ yojanāyutavistṛtam tāvānevordhvāmānena tato 'jaḥ praṇato 'bhavat

Translation

Seeing Him—the lotus-eyed Lord—expanded to a breadth of ten thousand yojanas, and of equal measure in height, then the Unborn (Brahmā) bowed down in reverence.

Speakers

• Narrator (describing Brahmā’s reaction to Viṣṇu’s revealed form)

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu
• Brahmā

Key Themes

• Cosmic scale of the deity
• Bhakti expressed as praṇāma (prostration)
• Theophany and awe (adbhuta/vismaya)
• Hierarchy inverted: creator-god venerates the Supreme

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘yojanāyuta-vistṛta’ signify in Purāṇic style?

It is a hyperbolic cosmographic expression indicating immeasurable vastness. Rather than a literal cartographic metric, it signals that the revealed form transcends ordinary spatial comprehension.

Why is Brahmā called ‘aja’ (unborn) if he is created?

In Purāṇic idiom, ‘aja’ for Brahmā points to his non-human, self-arising status within the cosmic cycle (often lotus-born from Viṣṇu). It does not deny his dependence on the supreme source; the verse reinforces this by showing him prostrating to Viṣṇu.

How does this relate to the Vāmana/Trivikrama motif?

The emphasis on equal vastness in breadth and height echoes the Trivikrama idea of cosmic pervasion. Even if the immediate epithet is Puṇḍarīkākṣa, the narrative logic aligns with Viṣṇu’s capacity to assume world-filling dimensions.