Shloka 74

Narasiṃha’s Greatness and the Slaying of Hiraṇyakaśipu

Boon, Portents, and Cosmic Restoration

Devanagari script

घटोदरो महापार्श्वः क्रथनः पिठरस्तथा । विश्वरूपस्वरूपश्च विश्वकायो महाबलः

Transliteration

ghaṭodaro mahāpārśvaḥ krathanaḥ piṭharastathā | viśvarūpasvarūpaśca viśvakāyo mahābalaḥ

Translation

Er ist Ghaṭodara, Mahāpārśva mit breiten Flanken, Krathana und Piṭhara; von Natur ist er von universaler Gestalt, von kosmischem Leib und großer Kraft.

Word by Word

घटोदरःPot-bellied one

महापार्श्वःBroad-sided one

क्रथनःCrusher/tormentor (name/epithet)

पिठरःBroad/large (name/epithet)

तथाalso; likewise

विश्वरूपस्वरूपःOne whose nature is the universal form

चand

विश्वकायःOne with a universal body

महाबलःMighty/very strong one

Speaker

Unspecified in the provided excerpt (verse appears to be part of a list of names/epithets).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: celestial_realm

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: -श्च = च; विश्वरूपस्वरूपश्च → विश्वरूपस्वरूपः + च.

FAQs

Why does this verse list multiple names like Ghaṭodara and Krathana?

Such verses often function as a litany of epithets or proper names, emphasizing a being’s many attributes—physical, cosmic, and theological—within a compact metrical form.

What do viśvarūpa and viśvakāya imply philosophically?

They express the idea of a cosmic person: the deity (or exalted being) is described as having the universe as form and body, highlighting immanence and all-pervasiveness.

Does this verse teach an ethical lesson directly?

Not directly; it is primarily descriptive. Indirectly, it cultivates reverence by portraying greatness (mahābala) and universality (viśvarūpa/viśvakāya).