Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Victory through Bhakti, Shloka 33
Prahlada’s Defeat in Battle and Victory through Bhakti (Nara-Narayana Episode)
किमर्थं देवदेवेश साध्यं नारायणं हरिम् विजेतुं नाद्य शक्नोमि एतन्मे कारणं वद
kimarthaṃ devadeveśa sādhyaṃ nārāyaṇaṃ harim vijetuṃ nādya śaknomi etanme kāraṇaṃ vada
Pour quelle raison, ô Seigneur des seigneurs des dieux, ne puis-je aujourd’hui vaincre Sādhya Nārāyaṇa, Hari ? Dis-moi la cause de cela.
{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The daitya’s admission of incapacity underscores a Purāṇic ethic: strength without alignment to dharma and divine favor is unstable. Even opponents must confront the reality of a higher moral-cosmic order guarded by Nārāyaṇa.
Vamśānucarita/Carita: a dialogue-driven episode illustrating the fortunes of daitya lineages in relation to the deity and dharma (not a creation-cycle section).
Calling Nārāyaṇa “Sādhya” can be read doubly: (1) as a class/title (Sādhya deity) and (2) as ‘the one who is to be realized/attained,’ suggesting that the true ‘conquest’ is inner realization—unavailable to one approaching through hostility alone.