Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 34
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
नद्यामेवावतीर्णो ऽस्मि गृहीतश्चाहिना बलान् समानीतो ऽस्मि पाताले दृष्टश्चात्र भवानपि
nadyāmevāvatīrṇo 'smi gṛhītaścāhinā balān samānīto 'smi pātāle dṛṣṭaścātra bhavānapi
„Ich stieg selbst in den Fluss hinab, doch da packte mich eine Schlange mit Gewalt. Man brachte mich hinab nach Pātāla, und hier habe ich auch Euch erblickt.“
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FAQs
The verse highlights the vulnerability of embodied beings to forces beyond their control (daiva/karma-like constraint), setting up a turn from worldly power to seeking higher knowledge (later expressed as inquiry into tīrthas).
This aligns most closely with Vamśānucarita/Carita-style narration (accounts connected to lineages and notable figures) rather than cosmogenesis; it functions as episodic narrative within the Purāṇic story-flow.
The river-to-Pātāla movement can symbolize descent from the visible world to hidden realms of consequence; the serpent (ahi) often marks binding, subterranean power, and the constriction of pride or agency before spiritual questioning begins.