Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 26

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

Devanagari script

ततस्तु च्यवनो नाम भार्गवेन्द्रो महातपाः जगाम नर्मदां स्नातुं तीर्थं चैवाकुलीश्वरम्

Transliteration

tatastu cyavano nāma bhārgavendro mahātapāḥ jagāma narmadāṃ snātuṃ tīrthaṃ caivākulīśvaram

Translation

Then the great ascetic named Cyavana, foremost among the Bhārgavas, went to bathe in the Narmadā and also to visit the tīrtha called Ākulīśvara.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (then/thereafter)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• च्यवनः: Cyavana
• च्यवनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: च्यवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Apposition marker (विशेषणसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देशक (indeclinable: by name)

• भार्गवेन्द्रः: chief among the Bhārgavas
• भार्गवेन्द्रः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्गव-इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक; भार्गव+इन्द्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• महातपाः: of great austerity
• महातपाः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महातपस् (प्रातिपदिक; महा+तपस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्ण), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Perfect, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

• नर्मदाम्: (to) the Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular)

• स्नातुम्: to bathe
• स्नातुम्: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्ना (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (infinitive): ‘to bathe’

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction: and)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (particle: indeed/just)

• आकुलीश्वरम्: Ākulīśvara (name of the tīrtha/deity)
• आकुलीश्वरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकुलीश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; आकुली+ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

Speakers

• Narrative frame likely Pulastya to Nārada (typical for Vāmana Purāṇa; not explicit in input)

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Tirtha Mahatmya
• Pilgrimage
• Ritual bathing (snāna)
• Shaivism
• Asceticism (tapas)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Pilgrimage and sacred bathing are framed as disciplined acts of purification undertaken by even great sages, reinforcing that tapas and tīrtha-sevā are complementary supports to dharma.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This aligns with ācāra/dharma and tīrtha-māhātmya material embedded in narrative (a kind of vamśānucarita-associated episode through a rishi figure), rather than creation cycles.

What is the symbolic significance?

Cyavana’s movement toward a Śaiva tīrtha on the Narmadā highlights the Purāṇa’s tendency to sacralize geography and to validate Śiva-worship within a broader, non-exclusive devotional landscape.