Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

एवं तस्यातिदुष्टस्य कुर्वतः प्राणिनां वधम् जगाम च महान् कालः परिणामं तथा वयः

Transliteration

evaṃ tasyātiduṣṭasya kurvataḥ prāṇināṃ vadham jagāma ca mahān kālaḥ pariṇāmaṃ tathā vayaḥ

Translation

While that exceedingly wicked one thus continued slaughtering living beings, great Time passed on; and with it came change and the advance of age.

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic narrator) summarizing the passage of time (specific interlocutors not provided in prompt).

Key Themes

• Kāla (Time) as cosmic regulator
• Inevitable change (pariṇāma)
• Moral causality setting up later events

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "karuna", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why does the text introduce Kāla and aging immediately after describing violence?

Purāṇic narration often pivots from adharma to Kāla to stress inevitability: even powerful wrongdoers are subject to time, decay, and eventual consequence, preparing the reader for a turning point in the story.

Is 'mahān kālaḥ' a deity here or an abstract principle?

In this verse it functions primarily as an abstract cosmic principle—Time that brings transformation—though Purāṇas can also personify Kāla in other contexts.

What is implied by 'pariṇāma' alongside 'vayaḥ'?

The pairing suggests both external change (circumstances ripening toward an outcome) and internal change (aging), indicating that the narrative is moving toward a decisive development.