Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 46

The Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu (Vishnu-Pañjara) and the Redemption of a Rakshasa

Devanagari script

स त्वं मुहूर्तमात्रं मामत्रैवं प्रतिपालय निवेद्य गुरवे यावदिहागच्छाम्यहं फलम्

Transliteration

sa tvaṃ muhūrtamātraṃ māmatraivaṃ pratipālaya nivedya gurave yāvadihāgacchāmyahaṃ phalam

Translation

rākṣasa: ‘demonic/ogre-like being’ (often a liminal guardian/obstructor); brahman: vocative ‘O brāhmaṇa’; ṣaṣṭhe kāle: ‘at the sixth time/occasion’ (i.e., a fixed rule/limit in his pattern); grahaṇa: ‘seizure, capture, grasp’; āgata: ‘come (into)’; pratimucyeta: ‘would be released/let go’; deva: ‘god’; pāpa-ājīvikā: ‘sinful means of livelihood/way of living sustained by wrongdoing’.

Speakers

• Same speaker addressing the rākṣasa (requesting a brief reprieve/assistance)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

Key Themes

• Truthfulness/keeping one’s word (implied by promise to return)
• Guru-sevā
• Time-unit (muhūrta) in ritual/narrative framing
• Negotiation with a liminal being (rākṣasa)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the narrative function of specifying ‘muhūrta-mātra’?

It sets a precise, bounded interval that tests sincerity and establishes a dharmic contract: the speaker asks for a short, measurable reprieve, implying confidence in returning and in the moral force of a promise.

Is ‘pratipālaya’ here physical protection or moral ‘keeping watch’?

Primarily physical/guardianship—‘stand by me here’—but in Purāṇic dialogue it also carries the sense of ‘do not obstruct; allow the vow/act to be completed,’ which is a moral concession by the rākṣasa.

How does guru-offering relate to tīrtha-mahātmya literature?

Tīrtha sections often integrate dharma exempla: pilgrimage merit is amplified when paired with guru-bhakti, restraint, and truthful conduct; the sacred place becomes the stage where these virtues are demonstrated.