Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 115

The Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu (Vishnu-Pañjara) and the Redemption of a Rakshasa

Devanagari script

अहर्निशं हृषीकेशं स्तवेनानेन राक्षस स्तुहि भक्तिं दृढां कृत्वा ततः पापाद् विमोक्ष्यसे

Transliteration

aharniśaṃ hṛṣīkeśaṃ stavenānena rākṣasa stuhi bhaktiṃ dṛḍhāṃ kṛtvā tataḥ pāpād vimokṣyase

Translation

{"bali_present": false, "generosity_display": null, "daana_type": null, "shukracharya_interaction": null, "devotion_quality": "Generalized: devotion (bhakti) is the decisive factor for divVamana Purana,62,17,VamP 62.17,tanmadhye dadṛśuḥ puṇyamāśramaṃ lokapūjitam caturṇāṃ lokapālānāṃ vargāṇāṃ munisattama / 62.16 dharmāśramaṃ prāṅmukhaṃ tu palāśaviṭapāvṛtam pratīcyabhimukhaṃ brahman arthasyekṣuvanāvṛtam,तन्मध्ये ददृशुः पुण्यमाश्रमं लोकपूजितम् चतुर्णां लोकपालानां वर्गाणां मुनिसत्तम / 62.16 धर्माश्रमं प्राङ्मुखं तु पलाशविटपावृतम् प्रतीच्यभिमुखं ब्रह्मन् अर्थस्येक्षुवनावृतम्,Saromahatmya (Lake/Tirtha-Mahatmya),Tirtha Mahima / Ashrama-Topography (Four Ashramas),Adhyaya 62 (title not supplied in input; passage describes a revered hermitage-complex associated with the four aims of life),62.17 (with embedded 62.16 in the provided text),tanmadhye dadṛśuḥ puṇyamāśramaṃ lokapūjitam caturṇāṃ lokapālānāṃ vargāṇāṃ munisattama / 62.16 dharmāśramaṃ prāṅmukhaṃ tu palāśaviṭapāvṛtam pratīcyabhimukhaṃ brahman arthasyekṣuvanāvṛtam,tan-madhye dadṛśuḥ puṇyam āśramaṃ loka-pūjitam caturṇāṃ loka-pālānāṃ vargāṇāṃ muni-sattama | dharmāśramaṃ prāṅ-mukhaṃ tu palāśa-viṭapāvṛtam | pratīcy-abhi-mukhaṃ brahman arthasya ikṣu-vanāvṛtam ||,In its midst they beheld a holy hermitage

Speakers

• Unspecified in provided excerpt; a teacher/authority figure instructing a rākṣasa addressee

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Hṛṣīkeśa)

Key Themes

• Continuous remembrance (smaraṇa) and praise
• Bhakti as transformative discipline
• Moral purification (pāpa-vimokṣa)
• Inclusivity of devotion (even a rākṣasa is eligible)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why is the addressee called ‘rākṣasa’—what is the doctrinal point?

The address underscores that bhakti and stuti are not restricted by birth or species; even one marked as ‘rākṣasa’ can attain purification through steadfast devotion to Hṛṣīkeśa.

What does ‘aharniśam’ imply as a practice?

It indicates regular, sustained engagement—constant recitation or continual devotional orientation—rather than a one-time ritual act, aligning with Purāṇic ideals of nāma/stuti as ongoing sādhana.

How does ‘Hṛṣīkeśa’ connect to the verse’s promise of liberation from sin?

As ‘Lord of the senses’, Hṛṣīkeśa signifies mastery and purification of sensory life; firm bhakti reorients the senses toward the divine, which the text presents as a direct means to pāpa-vimokṣa.