Vamana Purana — Nara-Narayana's Tapas, Shloka 2

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

Devanagari script

हरिं कुष्णं च देवर्षे नारायणनरौ तथा योगाभ्यासरतौ नित्यं हरिकृष्णौ बभूवतुः

Transliteration

hariṃ kuṣṇaṃ ca devarṣe nārāyaṇanarau tathā yogābhyāsaratau nityaṃ harikṛṣṇau babhūvatuḥ

Translation

يا أيها الرائي الإلهي، إنَّ هَري (Hari) وكِرِشنا (Kṛṣṇa)، وكذلك نارا (Nara) ونارايانا (Nārāyaṇa)—المواظبين أبدًا على ممارسة اليوغا—قد تجلَّوا في صورة هَري وكِرِشنا.

Word by Word

• harim: Hari
• harim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन

• kṛṣṇam: Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• deva-ṛṣe: O divine sage
• deva-ṛṣe: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (devaḥ ṛṣiḥ)

• nārāyaṇa-narau: Nārāyaṇa and Nara
• nārāyaṇa-narau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (nominative), द्विवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (Nārāyaṇa and Nara)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/तुल्यतासूचक (likewise/also)

• yoga-abhyāsa-ratau: devoted to the practice of yoga
• yoga-abhyāsa-ratau: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक) + abhyāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + rata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; तत्पुरुष (yogābhyāse ratau = devoted to practice of yoga)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक) / nityam (अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time: always)

• hari-kṛṣṇau: Hari and Kṛṣṇa
• hari-kṛṣṇau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (Hari and Kṛṣṇa)

• babhūvatuḥ: became / came to be
• babhūvatuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन; परस्मैपद

Speakers

• Not specified in the provided excerpt (often framed as Pulastya ↔ Nārada in the Vāmana Purāṇa)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Nara-Narayana
• Krishna

Key Themes

• Vaishnavism
• Yoga
• Avatar doctrine
• Tapas (asceticism)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse emphasizes that divinity is also expressed through sustained yogic discipline: the highest forms (Hari/Kṛṣṇa; Nara/Nārāyaṇa) are characterized by unwavering yoga-practice, presenting tapas and inner mastery as a hallmark of sacred power.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Primarily within Vamśānucarita/Carita-type narration (accounts of divine manifestations and exemplary figures), rather than cosmogenesis; it situates a divine identity/manifestation within the narrative flow.

What is the symbolic significance?

By pairing Hari–Kṛṣṇa with Nara–Nārāyaṇa, the text symbolically links royal/active divinity (Kṛṣṇa/Hari) with ascetic divinity (Nara-Nārāyaṇa), presenting action and contemplation as complementary expressions of the same supreme principle.