Shloka 83

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

Devanagari script

अजं वरेण्यं वरपद्मनाभं नारायणं ब्रह्मनिधिं सुरेशम् तं देवगुह्यं पुरुषं पुराणं वन्दाम्यहं लोकपतिं वरेण्यम्

Transliteration

ajaṃ vareṇyaṃ varapadmanābhaṃ nārāyaṇaṃ brahmanidhiṃ sureśam taṃ devaguhyaṃ puruṣaṃ purāṇaṃ vandāmyahaṃ lokapatiṃ vareṇyam

Translation

{"scene_description": "A penitent devotee at a river tīrtha, holding japa-mālā; shadowy symbols of past sins (dark forms) recede into light, indicating purification across lifetimes.", "primary_figures": ["Penitent devotee", "Tīrtha-priest/ācārya (optional)", "Viṣṇu (as compassionate witness, optional)"], "setting": "Sarasvatī ghāṭa with ritual water, kusa grass, small fire for expiation rites, dawn-to-noon cleansing light.", "color_palette": ["indigo (receding)", "white", "pale gold", "river blue", "ash grey"], "tanjore_prompt": "Tanjore style, gold leaf aura around a small Viṣṇu icon, devotee performing japa and prāyaścitta at river steps, dark sin-forms dissolving, ornate temple frame, luminous gold-white contrast", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature, soft pastels, solitary devotee by calm river, subtle allegorical dark clouds lifting, gentle priest figure guiding, minimal serene landscape", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural, bold outlines, devotee with mala and water pot, stylized flames of prāyaścitta, sin-figures fading at margins, strong earth pigments and clear iconography", "pattachitra_prompt": "Pattachitra panel, folk allegory of pāpa (dark motifs) being washed away by tīrtha and japa, patterned river bands, decorative borders, flat colors"}

Word by Word

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Speakers

• Narrative voice/reciter offering a concluding stuti (immediately prior to Pulastya’s response in the next verse).

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (Nārāyaṇa)

Key Themes

• Vishnu-stuti
• Supreme Lordship (Īśvaratva)
• Cosmic Puruṣa theology
• Hiddenness of the divine (deva-guhya)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Nārāyaṇa called “deva-guhya” (hidden even to the gods)?

The epithet signals transcendence: even devas, though powerful, do not fully grasp the Supreme’s essence. It aligns with Purāṇic and Upaniṣadic idiom where the highest reality is subtle, inward, and not exhaustively knowable through status or power.

What does “brahma-nidhi” mean here—Brahmā’s treasure or Vedic Brahman?

In stuti usage, brahma-nidhi typically means the repository of brahman: the Veda, sacred knowledge, and the ultimate principle. It can also imply that all creative potency (often associated with Brahmā) rests in Viṣṇu as its source.

Does this verse connect to the Vāmana/Trivikrama episode directly?

Not explicitly by name; it functions as a universal Viṣṇu-praise that can frame any Viṣṇu narrative. In the Vāmana Purāṇa’s style, such stutis often serve as transitions or culminations around narrative units.