Shloka 57

Gajendra's Deliverance — Gajendra’s Deliverance and the Protective Power of Remembrance (Japa)

Devanagari script

एकाय लोकत्त्वाय परतः परमात्मने नमः सहस्रशिरसे अनन्ताय महात्मने

Transliteration

ekāya lokattvāya parataḥ paramātmane namaḥ sahasraśirase anantāya mahātmane

Translation

[{"question": "What does ‘upholding the earth’ signify in Purāṇic theology?", "answer": "It denotes Viṣṇu’s sustaining power that prevents cosmic collapse—often expressed through myths (e.g., stabilizing the world-order, restoring balance after demonic oppression). The phrase functions as a shorthand for preservation (sthiti)."}, {"question": "Who are the Daityas in this context?", "answer": "Daityas are a prominent asuric lineage in Purāṇic literature, frequently portrayed as challengers of divine order. Their ‘slaying’ symbolizes the re-establishment of dharma and cosmic equilibrium."}, {"question": "Why is Viṣṇu called ‘Ādyeśa’ here?", "answer": "‘Ādyeśa’ frames Viṣṇu as the original sovereign—prior to and underlying all manifested powers. In stuti, this title elevates the praised deity beyond episodic myth into first-principle status."}]

Speakers

• Unspecified in input (a devotee/narrator voice offering a hymn of praise within Adhyaya 58).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Stuti (hymn of praise)
• Non-dual supremacy of the Divine (eka/paramātman)
• Cosmic form theology (sahasraśiras)
• Transcendence (parataḥ)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is the deity called ‘sahasraśiras’ (thousand-headed) here?

‘Sahasraśiras’ is a conventional Vedic-Puranic epithet for the cosmic Person (Puruṣa/Viśvarūpa), indicating omnipresence and infinite faculties rather than a literal count. It aligns the praised deity with the all-pervading cosmic form theology.

What does ‘lokatattva’ convey in a devotional hymn?

It frames the deity not merely as a ruler of the world but as the world’s underlying principle—its sustaining reality. The hymn thus moves from personal devotion to metaphysical identification of God as the ground of being.

Does this verse imply a specific avatāra like Vāmana or Trivikrama?

Not explicitly. The language is primarily paramātman/cosmic-form oriented; it can function as a universal Viṣṇu-stuti that may precede or accompany specific avatāra narratives without naming them.