Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 61
The Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu (Vishnu-Pañjara) and the Redemption of a Rakshasa
सा प्रोवाच द्विजसुतं राक्षसग्रहणाकुलम् मा भैर्द्विजसुताहं त्वां मोक्षयिष्यामि संकटात्
sā provāca dvijasutaṃ rākṣasagrahaṇākulam mā bhairdvijasutāhaṃ tvāṃ mokṣayiṣyāmi saṃkaṭāt
Puruṣottama: “Supreme Person,” a principal epithet of Viṣṇu as the transcendent Lord; kālacakra: “Wheel of Time,” the cyclic order of time governing creation, preservation, and dissolution; dvādaśāra: “twelve-spoked,” commonly read as the twelvefold division of time (e.g., months/solar measures) or a complete temporal cycle; ṣaṇṇābhi: “six hubs/navels,” a structural image of the wheel—often interpreted as six seasons (ṛtu) or sixfold temporal/ritual divisions; trivyūha: “threefold array/formation,” suggestive of triadic cosmic functions (sṛṣṭi–sthiti–saṃhāra) or three guṇas; dviyuga: “two yugas,” indicating paired yuga-cycles or the duality of time-phases within a larger cycle; bhavānīśa: “Lord of Bhavānī,” i.e., Śiva, here used to identify the praised Lord as also Śiva (Hari–Hara unity).
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FAQs
Grahaṇa literally means ‘seizing.’ In Purāṇic idiom it can cover abduction, physical restraint, or a hostile ‘grasp’ akin to affliction. The verse’s emphasis on ākulatā (distress) and promised mokṣa (release) supports a concrete peril, whether bodily capture or overpowering attack.
The label marks ritual-social identity: a brahmin youth represents Vedic continuity and vulnerability. In tīrtha narratives, the rescue of a dvija underscores the tīrtha’s dharmic function—protecting those aligned with sacred learning and conduct.
Here mokṣa is primarily ‘release’ from immediate danger (saṃkaṭa). Purāṇas often use mokṣa/mocana in both senses; the local context favors deliverance from the rākṣasa, while still hinting at the tīrtha’s broader salvific power.