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

[{"question": "Does “niśamya (having heard)” suggest that mere hearing grants liberation?", "answer": "In Purāṇic idiom, “hearing” (śravaṇa) stands for receptive engagement with revealed truth—often paired implicitly with reflection and devotion. The verse highlights that contact with the imperishable reality through authentic teaching breaks the grip of mortality (mṛtyu-mukha)."}, {"question": "How can Viṣṇu be described as “tṛpta” (content/fulfilled) while also having “guṇas” (qualities)?", "answer": "“Tṛpta” indicates self-sufficiency and completeness (no lack, no need). “Guṇas” here are not limiting material guṇas of Prakṛti, but unsurpassed divine excellences (anuttama-guṇa) that make the transcendent Lord accessible to devotion."}, {"question": "What is the theological move in calling Akṣara-Brahman ‘Viṣṇu’ and ‘parāyaṇa’?", "answer": "It identifies the highest metaphysical absolute (Akṣara-Brahman) with the personal deity Viṣṇu, and then frames Him as the practical soteriological goal (parāyaṇa)—the one to be approached, relied upon, and realized."}]

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.