Vamana Purana — Akhanda Ekadashi Vrata, Shloka 39
Akhaṇḍa-Ekādaśī Vrata and the Vaiṣṇava Protective Hymn; Prelude to the Kātyāyanī–Mahiṣāsura Narrative
नारद उवाच कासौ कात्यायानी नाम यचा जघ्ने महिषासुरम् नमरं रक्तबीजं च तथान्यान् कुरकण्टकान्
nārada uvāca kāsau kātyāyānī nāma yacā jaghne mahiṣāsuram namaraṃ raktabījaṃ ca tathānyān kurakaṇṭakān
नारद ने कहा—कौन है वह कात्यायनी नाम वाली, जिसने महिषासुर, नमर और रक्तबीज को तथा अन्य देवकण्टक शत्रुओं को भी मारा?
{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The Purāṇic method teaches through inquiry: Nārada’s question legitimizes careful identification of divine forms and their functions. Ethically, it encourages discernment—knowing the source and nature of protective power rather than treating it as anonymous force.
This is part of the instructional narrative apparatus supporting Carita/Vamśānucarita material—dialogue-driven exposition rather than sarga/pratisarga cosmology.
Asking ‘who is Kātyāyanī?’ points to the Purāṇic principle that names denote roles (śakti-functions) in a given context. The same supreme reality may be apprehended as Devī when confronting chaos, as Hari in sustaining order, and as Īśa in empowering and transmitting spiritual means.