Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Victory through Bhakti, Shloka 49

Prahlada’s Defeat in Battle and Victory through Bhakti (Nara-Narayana Episode)

Devanagari script

त्वं देवः पुण्डरीकाक्षस्त्वं विष्णुः शार्ङ्गचापधृक् त्वमव्ययो महेशानः शाश्वतः पुरुषोत्तमः

Transliteration

tvaṃ devaḥ puṇḍarīkākṣastvaṃ viṣṇuḥ śārṅgacāpadhṛk tvamavyayo maheśānaḥ śāśvataḥ puruṣottamaḥ

Translation

«أنت الإله ذو العينين كاللوتس؛ وأنت فيشنو حامل قوس شارنغا. أنت غير الفاني، ماهيشانا؛ وأنت الأزلي، بوروشوتّما، الشخص الأسمى.»

Word by Word

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun, Nominative, Singular

• devaḥ: god
• devaḥ: Pradhana-nama (प्रधान-नाम/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; predicate nominative

• puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ: lotus-eyed one
• puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ: Pradhana-nama (प्रधान-नाम/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇḍarīka-akṣa (पुण्डरीक + अक्ष) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; karmadhāraya/tatpuruṣa sense: ‘lotus-eyed’

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun, Nominative, Singular

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Pradhana-nama (प्रधान-नाम/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• śārṅgacāpadhṛk: bearer of the Śārṅga bow
• śārṅgacāpadhṛk: Pradhana-nama (प्रधान-नाम/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śārṅga-cāpa-dhṛk (शार्ङ्ग + चाप + धृक्) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘bearer of the Śārṅga bow’ (dhṛk = ‘holder’)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun, Nominative, Singular

• avyayaḥ: imperishable
• avyayaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• maheśānaḥ: Maheśāna (great lord)
• maheśānaḥ: Pradhana-nama (प्रधान-नाम/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-īśāna (महा + ईशान) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; karmadhāraya: ‘great lord’

• śāśvataḥ: eternal
• śāśvataḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śāśvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• puruṣottamaḥ: Supreme Person
• puruṣottamaḥ: Pradhana-nama (प्रधान-नाम/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa-uttama (पुरुष + उत्तम) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘best among persons’

Speakers

• Prahlāda to Nārāyaṇa/Viṣṇu

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Puṇḍarīkākṣa, Śārṅgadhanvan)
• Shiva (invoked indirectly via the epithet Maheśāna)

Key Themes

• Bhakti
• Sectarian Harmony (Hari–Hara equivalence via shared epithets)
• Vaishnavism
• Shaiva–Vaishnava Synthesis

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Devotional vision sees one supreme reality manifesting divine qualities; Prahlāda’s praise encourages devotion beyond rivalry—recognizing the eternal, imperishable Lord as the highest good.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Carita/Vamśānucarita-type devotional narrative: hymnic passages embedded in story serve to teach dharma and theology rather than enumerate creation cycles.

What is the symbolic significance?

Applying ‘Maheśāna’ (a Śaiva title) to Viṣṇu is a deliberate non-sectarian move typical of Purāṇic synthesis, implying functional and ontological unity (Hari–Hara) while retaining Viṣṇu’s distinct iconography (Śārṅga, lotus eyes).