Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

तदेव वदनं चारु स्वक्षिभ्रूकुटिलालकम् सुनासावंशाधरोष्ठमालोकनपरायणम्

Transliteration

tadeva vadanaṃ cāru svakṣibhrūkuṭilālakam sunāsāvaṃśādharoṣṭhamālokanaparāyaṇam

Translation

Son visage même était ravissant : de beaux yeux, des sourcils et des boucles ondoyantes ; un arête du nez délicate et des lèvres gracieuses—tout en elle captivait le regard et l’attachait à la contemplation.

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā/Dvitīyā (Nom./Acc.), Ekavacana (sg.)

• eva: indeed / just
• eva: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध/निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (particle; emphasis)

• vadanam: face
• vadanam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vadana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-avyaya (conjunction)

• āru: beautiful
• āru: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cāru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.); agrees with vadanam

• svakṣi-bhrū-kuṭila-ālakam: with lovely eyes, eyebrows, and curly locks
• svakṣi-bhrū-kuṭila-ālakam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svakṣi + bhrū + kuṭila + ālaka (प्रातिपदिक-समाहार)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.); bahu-pada samāsa qualifying vadanam

• su-nāsā-vaṃśa-adhara-oṣṭham: with a fine nose-bridge and lower lip
• su-nāsā-vaṃśa-adhara-oṣṭham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + nāsā + vaṃśa + adhara + oṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक-समाहार)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.); qualifying vadanam

• ālokaṇa-parāyaṇam: fit for gazing at / devoted to being looked at
• ālokaṇa-parāyaṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ālokaṇa + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

Speakers

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

Primary Deities

• Kandarpa (contextual observer from prior verse)
• Rati (the described maiden, per narrative flow)

Key Themes

• Śṛṅgāra aesthetics
• Iconography of ideal beauty
• Narrative intensification (gaze/āloka motif)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The text uses disciplined description to show how the senses become absorbed; implicitly it warns that attention (āloka) can bind the mind—hence later traditions often stress governing the gaze and redirecting aesthetic experience toward higher contemplation.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

As poetic rūpa-varṇana embedded in mythic narration, it remains within Vaṃśānucarita/ākhyāna (supplementary narrative material) rather than the core five marks like sarga/pratisarga.

What is the symbolic significance?

Facial features become symbols of the ‘entry points’ of desire—eyes and brows (saṅkalpa/attention), hair (allure), lips (speech and sensual promise). ‘Ālokanaparāyaṇam’ signals the power of form (rūpa) to capture consciousness.