Vamana Purana — Nara-Narayana's Tapas, Shloka 10

Nara-Narayana’s Tapas, Indra’s Temptation, and the Burning of Kama: The Origin of Ananga and the Shiva-Linga Episode

Devanagari script

शिशिरं नाम मातङ्गं विदार्य नखरैरिव वसन्तकेसरी प्राप्तः पलाशकुसुमैर्मुने

Transliteration

śiśiraṃ nāma mātaṅgaṃ vidārya nakharairiva vasantakesarī prāptaḥ palāśakusumairmune

Translation

يا أيها الحكيم، بعد أن مزّق الفيل المسمّى «الشتاء» كأنما بمخالب، أقبل أسد الربيع ومعه أزهار البلاشا (palāśa).

Word by Word

• śiśiram: winter/cold season
• śiśiram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiśira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन)

• nāma: named / called
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), particle (निपात) meaning ‘named/indeed’

• mātaṅgam: elephant
• mātaṅgam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātaṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन); apposition to śiśiram

• vidārya: having torn apart
• vidārya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + dṛ (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), ‘having torn/split’

• nakharaiḥ: with claws/nails
• nakharaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nakhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया) Plural (बहुवचन)

• iva: as if/like
• iva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), simile particle (उपमा-वाचक)

• vasanta-kesarī: Spring, the lion
• vasanta-kesarī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasanta + kesarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular (एकवचन); karmadhāraya ‘spring (as) lion’ i.e., ‘the lion-like Spring’

• prāptaḥ: has arrived
• prāptaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prāp (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular (एकवचन); used predicatively ‘has come/arrived’

• palāśa-kusumaiḥ: with palāśa blossoms
• palāśa-kusumaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: palāśa + kusuma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया) Plural (बहुवचन); tatpuruṣa ‘palāśasya kusumaiḥ’

• mune: O sage
• mune: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन) Singular (एकवचन)

Speakers

• Narrative address ‘mune’ suggests a speaker addressing a sage; exact named interlocutors not present in the excerpt (often Pulastya → Nārada overall)

Key Themes

• Seasonal allegory
• Nature symbolism
• Poetic personification

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Adversity (winter) is temporary; the rhythm of time (ṛtu-cakra) restores vitality. The ethical hint is patience and confidence in dharma: endurance through hardship is rewarded by renewal.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Not directly one of the five lakṣaṇas; it functions as supportive narration (carita/varṇana) within a larger tīrtha/āśrama account.

What is the symbolic significance?

The lion-versus-elephant metaphor dramatizes spring’s victorious energy over inertia and coldness. Palāśa blossoms—often associated with seasonal rites and vivid vitality—signal the reawakening of life and ritual auspiciousness.