Vamana Purana — Nara-Narayana's Tapas, Shloka 68

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

Devanagari script

ततश्चचाल पृथिवी गिरयः सरितो नगाः पातालभुवनाः सर्वे जङ्गमाजङ्गमैर्वृताः

Transliteration

tataścacāla pṛthivī girayaḥ sarito nagāḥ pātālabhuvanāḥ sarve jaṅgamājaṅgamairvṛtāḥ

Translation

তেতিয়া পৃথিৱী কঁপি উঠিল; পৰ্বত, নদী আৰু গছ-গছনিও দুলিবলৈ ধৰিলে; আৰু জংগম-অজংগমেৰে ভৰা পাতালৰ সকলো ভুৱন ব্যাকুল হ’ল।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, conjunction

• cacāla: shook/moved
• cacāla: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cal (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada

• pṛthivī: the earth
• pṛthivī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthvī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative singular

• girayaḥ: mountains
• girayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative plural

• saritaḥ: rivers
• saritaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative plural

• nagāḥ: mountains/trees (here: mountains)
• nagāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative plural

• pātāla-bhuvanāḥ: the nether-world regions
• pātāla-bhuvanāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक) + bhuvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘pātālasya bhuvanāḥ’; Neuter, Nominative plural

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative plural; collective qualifier (‘all’)

• jaṅgama-ajaṅgamaiḥ: by moving and unmoving beings
• jaṅgama-ajaṅgamaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaṅgama (प्रातिपदिक) + ajaṅgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva (द्वन्द्व) ‘moving and unmoving’; Neuter, Instrumental (तृतीया) plural

• vṛtāḥ: surrounded/covered
• vṛtāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛ (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine nominative plural; agreeing with (sarve ...), ‘surrounded/covered’

Speakers

• Primary narrative frame typically Pulastya → Nārada (speaker not explicit in the provided verse)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (implied by prior liṅga reference)

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Pralaya-like tremor imagery
• Interconnectedness of realms
• Shaivism (contextual)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The shaking of all categories—moving and unmoving—teaches that worldly stability is contingent. Dharma is to be grounded in the eternal (brahman/Īśvara), not in the presumed permanence of material arrangements.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is cosmographic description supporting Sarga/Pratisarga themes (world-structure and its disturbance). It uses totalizing categories (jaṅgama/ajaṅgama) typical of Purāṇic cosmology.

What is the symbolic significance?

By naming both jaṅgama and ajaṅgama, the text signals completeness: the divine event affects all layers of being. It also echoes the Purāṇic idea that when the cosmic ‘pillar’ (liṅga/axis) is active, all realms respond.