Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 39

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

Devanagari script

न चखाद स सत्त्वानि क्षुधा संबाधितो ऽपि सन् षष्ठे षष्ठे तदा काले जन्तुमेकमभक्षयत्

Transliteration

na cakhāda sa sattvāni kṣudhā saṃbādhito 'pi san ṣaṣṭhe ṣaṣṭhe tadā kāle jantumekamabhakṣayat

Translation

Though tormented by hunger, he did not devour living beings; only at each sixth interval of time did he eat a single creature.

Speakers

• Narrator voice describing the rākṣasa’s self-imposed discipline.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

Key Themes

• Ahiṃsā (non-violence) as gradual practice
• Tapas through restraint
• Prāyaścitta via controlled appetite
• Ethical rehabilitation

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

How should “ṣaṣṭhe ṣaṣṭhe kāle” be understood—every sixth day?

The phrase literally means ‘at each sixth time/period.’ Commentarially it is taken as a fixed interval (often ‘every sixth day’), highlighting an extreme reduction of violence and consumption rather than a precise calendrical rule.

Why is partial restraint narrated instead of immediate complete non-violence?

Purāṇas frequently depict transformation as incremental. For a rākṣasa habituated to predation, the first step is regulated harm, moving toward fuller purification through vows and tīrtha-contact.

What dharmic principle is being taught through this regimen?

That prāyaścitta begins with saṃyama—mastery over appetite and impulse. Even before ritual expiation, ethical self-control is presented as the foundation of cleansing pāpa.