Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 70

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

Devanagari script

नारायणं नरं शौरिं माधवं मधुसूदनम् प्रणतो ऽस्मि धराधारं स मे पापं व्यपोहतु

Transliteration

nārāyaṇaṃ naraṃ śauriṃ mādhavaṃ madhusūdanam praṇato 'smi dharādhāraṃ sa me pāpaṃ vyapohatu

Translation

{"bhagavata_parallel": "Bhāgavata Purāṇa 8.3 (Gajendra: deliverance through calling/hearing of the Lord) and 8.18–8.23 (Vāmana narrative framed by devotion and refuge); also 1.2.17 (śravaṇa as purifier leading to bhakti).", "vishnu_purana_parallel": "Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5–6.7 (liberation through knowledge/devotion to Viṣṇu; akṣara Brahman).", "ramayana_connection": "General bhakti-śravaṇa ethos; no direct episode parallel.", "mahabharata_echo": "Bhagavad Gītā 8 (akṣara Brahman; remembrance at death), and 12 (bhakti as path); also Nārāyaṇīya emphasis on śaraṇa.", "other_puranas": ["Garuda Purāṇa (death, liberation themes; remembrance of Viṣṇu)", "Padma Purāṇa (śravaṇa-kīrtana as mokṣa-sādhana)"], "vedic_reference": "Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (akṣara, sarvaga), Kaṭha Upaniṣad (mṛtyu and liberation), and general śruti emphasis on śravaṇa as first step toward realization."}

Speakers

• Unspecified devotee/narrator voice addressing Viṣṇu through a litany of names (within the chapter’s tīrtha-mahātmya frame).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Nārāyaṇa/Kṛṣṇa)
• Lakshmi (implied via Mādhava)

Key Themes

• Stuti (devotional praise)
• Pāpa-nāśana
• Cosmic sustenance (Viṣṇu as dharādhāra)
• Integration of Nārāyaṇa and Kṛṣṇa epithets

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is “Nara” in a Viṣṇu hymn—humanity or a specific divine figure?

Both senses are active in Purāṇic diction. “Nara” can denote the cosmic person (Viṣṇu as the archetypal Man), and it can allude to the Nara-Nārāyaṇa pair of divine sages. In stuti style, polyvalence is intentional, expanding the deity’s scope.

What is the theological point of calling Viṣṇu “Dharādhāra” here?

It situates the prayer in Viṣṇu’s sustaining function: he upholds the world-order (dharma and the earth itself). In tīrtha contexts, this reinforces that purification is not merely personal but aligned with cosmic maintenance and stability.

Why combine demon-slaying (Madhusūdana) with refuge-names (Nārāyaṇa, Mādhava)?

The hymn balances protection and grace: Viṣṇu removes inner and outer obstacles (as demon-slayer) while remaining the ultimate refuge and beneficent lord (as Nārāyaṇa/Mādhava). This duality underwrites the request for pāpa-removal.