Vamana Purana — Gajendra's Deliverance, Shloka 17

Gajendra’s Deliverance and the Protective Power of Remembrance (Japa)

Devanagari script

कुमुदोत्पलकह्लारैः पुण्डरीकैश्च मण्डितम् कमलैः शतपत्रैश्च काञ्चनैः समलङ्कृतम्

Transliteration

kumudotpalakahlāraiḥ puṇḍarīkaiśca maṇḍitam kamalaiḥ śatapatraiśca kāñcanaiḥ samalaṅkṛtam

Translation

তা কুমুদ, উৎপল, কহ্লার ও পুণ্ডরীক পদ্মে মণ্ডিত; স্বর্ণকমল ও শতপত্র পদ্মে সুসজ্জিত।

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher voice within the Saromahatmya continuing the lake’s description

Key Themes

• Tirtha Mahima
• Auspicious flora as markers of sanctity
• Purāṇic landscape poetics

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Do these lotus-types have distinct connotations in purāṇic geography?

Yes. Enumerating lotus varieties signals abundance, purity, and ritual fitness of the waterbody. White (puṇḍarīka/kumuda) and blue (utpala) together suggest completeness—day/night, serenity/splendor—typical of tīrtha idealization.

What is the significance of the “hundred-petalled lotus” (śatapatra)?

Śatapatra is a superlative emblem of auspiciousness and extraordinary beauty; it also echoes yogic and cosmological symbolism (expanded purity and radiance), reinforcing the lake’s transcendent status.

How should a reader use such descriptive verses in a geography-focused Purāṇa?

They function as both itinerary cues (identifying a distinctive lake on a mountain slope) and as evaluative markers (signs of sanctity). The aesthetic catalogue is part of the ‘metadata’ by which a tīrtha is recognized and ranked.