Shloka 25

Gajendra's Deliverance — Gajendra’s Deliverance and the Protective Power of Remembrance (Japa)

Devanagari script

वेष्ट्यमानः सुघोरैस्तु पाशैर्नागो दृढैस्तथा विस्फूर्य च यथाशक्ति विक्रोसंश्च महारवान्

Transliteration

veṣṭyamānaḥ sughoraistu pāśairnāgo dṛḍhaistathā visphūrya ca yathāśakti vikrosaṃśca mahāravān

Translation

That nāga, being tightly wrapped by those very dreadful, firm nooses, thrashed about with all his strength and let out cries—great, resounding roars.

Speakers

• Narrative voice continuing the description (speaker not specified in prompt).

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (Hari)
• Varuṇa (implicit)

Key Themes

• Struggle against bondage
• Helplessness despite strength
• Crisis preceding divine remembrance

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is the ‘nāga’ here—an ordinary snake or a Nāga-being?

Nāga can denote a serpent generally, but in Purāṇic narrative it often implies a powerful serpent-being. The scale of the struggle and ‘mahārava’ suggests a formidable being, not a small animal.

What is the narrative function of describing the thrashing and roaring?

It heightens the sense of unavoidable peril: even maximal physical effort fails. This sets up the Purāṇic teaching that when strength and agency collapse, śaraṇāgati (turning to the divine) becomes the decisive act.

Is this episode connected to a tīrtha teaching?

Yes. In many Vāmana Purāṇa tīrtha passages, a dramatic incident in a specific locale illustrates the merit of devotion, remembrance, or ritual acts associated with that sacred geography.