Shloka 16

Gift of Sudarshana — The Gift of Sudarshana: Shiva’s Boon to Vishnu and the Sanctification of Virupaksha

Devanagari script

आसीन्महासुरपतिः श्रीदाम इति विश्रुतः तेनाक्रम्य जगत्सर्वं श्रीर्नीता स्ववशं पुरा

Transliteration

āsīnmahāsurapatiḥ śrīdāma iti viśrutaḥ tenākramya jagatsarvaṃ śrīrnītā svavaśaṃ purā

Translation

There was a great lord of the Asuras, renowned by the name Śrīdāma. Having overrun the entire world, he formerly brought Śrī (Fortune) under his own control.

Speakers

• Continuation of the mother’s narration to her son (from v.15)

Primary Deities

• Śrī (Lakṣmī)

Key Themes

• Asura domination
• Cosmic displacement of Śrī (Fortune)
• Mythic causation for later sacred events

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does it mean that the Asura ‘brought Śrī under his control’?

In Purāṇic idiom, Śrī is not only a goddess (Lakṣmī) but also the cosmic condition of auspiciousness, sovereignty, and prosperity. Saying an Asura ‘controls Śrī’ signals an inversion of rightful order: prosperity and legitimacy are forcibly appropriated by adharmic power.

Is Śrīdāma a known figure elsewhere?

The name Śrīdāma appears in different traditions with different referents; here it designates an Asura king. The Purāṇa often reuses or localizes names, so identification should be made primarily from the immediate narrative sequence rather than external equivalences.

How does this connect to a māhātmya (tīrtha praise) section?

Māhātmyas frequently ground a place’s sanctity in a cosmic disturbance (e.g., loss of Śrī, dharma decline) that is later resolved through divine intervention at a specific tīrtha. This verse sets up that disturbance.