Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 5

Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti

Devanagari script

ऊरूद्भवां स कन्दर्पो दृष्ट्वा सर्वाङ्गसुन्दरीम् अमन्यत तदानङ्गः किमियं सा प्रिया रतिः

Transliteration

ūrūdbhavāṃ sa kandarpo dṛṣṭvā sarvāṅgasundarīm amanyata tadānaṅgaḥ kimiyaṃ sā priyā ratiḥ

Translation

Als er das aus dem Schenkel geborene Mädchen sah, an allen Gliedern schön, dachte Kandarpa—Ananga, der Körperlose—sogleich: „Wer ist sie? Ist sie meine Geliebte Rati?“

Word by Word

• ūrūdbhavām: (her) born from the thigh / thigh-born (woman)
• ūrūdbhavām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūrūdbhavā (प्रातिपदिक; ūrū + udbhavā)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Dvitīyā-vibhakti (Acc. 2), Ekavacana (sg.)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

• kandarpaḥ: Kandarpa (Cupid)
• kandarpaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kandarpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; pūrvakāla)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, अव्ययभाव), ‘having seen’

• sarvāṅgasundarīm: the woman beautiful in all limbs
• sarvāṅgasundarīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarvāṅgasundarī (प्रातिपदिक; sarva-aṅga-sundarī)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Dvitīyā-vibhakti (Acc. 2), Ekavacana (sg.)

• amanyata: thought / considered
• amanyata: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (धातु)
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra (Imperfect/past), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana (sg.), Ātmanepada

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Kāla-avyaya (temporal adverb)

• anaṅgaḥ: Ananga (the bodiless one; Cupid)
• anaṅgaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anaṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

• kim: what?
• kim: Prashna (प्रश्न; interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकaliṅga (n.), Prathamā/Dvitīyā (Nom./Acc.), Ekavacana (sg.)

• iyam: this (woman)
• iyam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

• priyā: beloved / dear
• priyā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

• ratiḥ: Rati (goddess of love)
• ratiḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण; predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

Speakers

• Not specified in the provided excerpt (likely narrated within the frame dialogue)

Primary Deities

• Kandarpa (Kāma/Ananga)
• Rati (implied/identified)

Key Themes

• Personification of kāma and rati
• Recognition motif
• Idealized feminine beauty (sarvāṅga-saundarya)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Desire (kāma) seeks its proper counterpart (rati) rather than indiscriminate indulgence; the narrative channels attraction toward relational harmony, implying that kāma becomes constructive when paired with a fitting, dharmically oriented bond.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

It functions as Vaṃśānucarita-style mythic narration about a deity (Kāma) and his consort (Rati), supplying an etiological explanation rather than cosmogenesis or dynastic royal genealogy.

What is the symbolic significance?

Calling Kāma ‘Anaṅga’ (bodiless) highlights desire’s subtle, non-material force; his recognition of Rati suggests that desire requires a complementary principle—delight/attachment—so that the impulse becomes intelligible and narratively ‘embodied’ in the world.