Vamana Purana — Nara-Narayana's Tapas, Shloka 11

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

Devanagari script

मया तुषारौघकरी निर्जितः स्वेन तेजसा तमेव हसतेत्युच्चैः वसन्तः कुन्दकुड्मलैः

Transliteration

mayā tuṣāraughakarī nirjitaḥ svena tejasā tameva hasatetyuccaiḥ vasantaḥ kundakuḍmalaiḥ

Translation

„Durch mein eigenes Leuchten habe ich die Jahreszeit besiegt, die Ströme von Frost herbeiführt.“ So, als lache er laut darüber, erschien der Frühling (Vasanta) mit Jasmin-Knospen (kunda).

Word by Word

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (कर्ता) (agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Instrumental (तृतीया) Singular (एकवचन); pronoun

• tuṣāra-ogha-karī: the producer of torrents of frost (Winter)
• tuṣāra-ogha-karī: Karta (कर्ता) (of implied action)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tuṣāra + ogha + karī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa chain ‘tuṣārasya oghaḥ’ + ‘karī’ = ‘maker/producer of torrents of frost’

• nirjitaḥ: (is) conquered
• nirjitaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया) (predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir + ji (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular (एकवचन); ‘conquered/defeated’

• svena: by (his) own
• svena: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Instrumental (तृतीया) Singular (एकवचन), Masculine/Neuter; reflexive possessive ‘by one’s own’

• tejasā: splendor, power
• tejasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया) Singular (एकवचन)

• tam: him/that (Winter)
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), emphatic particle (निपात)

• hasati: laughs
• hasati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: has (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष) Singular (एकवचन)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), quotative particle (इति-निपात)

• uccaiḥ: aloud, loudly
• uccaiḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: uccaiḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• vasantaḥ: Spring
• vasantaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasanta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular (एकवचन)

• kunda-kuḍmalaiḥ: with jasmine buds
• kunda-kuḍmalaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kunda + kuḍmala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया) Plural (बहुवचन); tatpuruṣa ‘kundasya kuḍmalaiḥ’

Speakers

• Dialogue frame not explicit in provided excerpt (commonly Pulastya → Nārada in Vāmana Purāṇa); verse reads as descriptive narration

Key Themes

• Sacred landscape praise
• Seasonal imagery (ṛtu-varṇana)
• Auspiciousness and renewal

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Renewal is portrayed as a natural dharmic rhythm: warmth, clarity, and growth (tejas) dispel constriction and inertia (cold). The passage encourages confidence in inner ‘tejas’ to overcome adverse conditions.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Not sarga/pratisarga directly; it aligns best with ancillary purāṇic narration supporting tīrtha/mahātmya or context-setting description rather than genealogical or dynastic material (a supportive descriptive layer within the broader narrative).

What is the symbolic significance?

Spring’s ‘laughter’ with jasmine buds symbolizes the victory of auspiciousness and fragrance (sattva, beauty) over harshness; it functions as a poetic marker that the sacred region/time is becoming fit for rites, travel, and devotion.