Vamana Purana — Nara-Narayana's Tapas, Shloka 34

Nara-Narayana’s Tapas, Indra’s Temptation, and the Burning of Kama: The Origin of Ananga and the Shiva-Linga Episode

Devanagari script

क्षणं गायति देवर्षे क्षणं रोदिति शङ्करः क्षणं ध्यायति तन्वङ्गीं दक्षकन्यां मनोरमाम्

Transliteration

kṣaṇaṃ gāyati devarṣe kṣaṇaṃ roditi śaṅkaraḥ kṣaṇaṃ dhyāyati tanvaṅgīṃ dakṣakanyāṃ manoramām

Translation

Wahai resi ilahi, sekejap Śaṅkara bernyanyi, sekejap ia menangis; sekejap pula ia bermeditasi pada putri Dakṣa yang ramping dan memesona.

Word by Word

• क्षणम्: for a moment
• क्षणम्: कालाधिकरण (temporal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; काल-परिमाणार्थे अव्ययीभाव (adverbial accusative)

• गायति: sings
• गायति: क्रिया (action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गै/गा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवर्षे: O divine sage
• देवर्षे: सम्बोधन (address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवर्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (देव + ऋषि); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• क्षणम्: for a moment
• क्षणम्: कालाधिकरण (temporal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया, एकवचन; काल-परिमाणार्थे

• रोदिति: weeps/cries
• रोदिति: क्रिया (action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रुद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शङ्करः: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शङ्करः: कर्ता (Karta/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• क्षणम्: for a moment
• क्षणम्: कालाधिकरण (temporal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया, एकवचन; काल-परिमाणार्थे

• ध्यायति: meditates/thinks of
• ध्यायति: क्रिया (action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तन्वङ्गीम्: the slender-limbed woman
• तन्वङ्गीम्: कर्म (Karma/object of ध्यायति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तन्वङ्गी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (तनु + अङ्ग; ‘whose limbs are slender’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दक्षकन्याम्: Dakṣa’s daughter
• दक्षकन्याम्: कर्म (Karma/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षकन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (दक्षस्य कन्या); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तन्वङ्गीम् इत्यस्य समानाधिकरण (appositional)

• मनोरमाम्: charming/beautiful
• मनोरमाम्: विशेषण (adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनोरमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying दक्षकन्याम्)

Speakers

• Narrator addressing ‘devarṣi’ (likely Nārada within the frame-dialogue)

Primary Deities

• Shiva
• Sati (Dakṣa’s daughter)
• Daksha

Key Themes

• Shaivism
• Bhakti (divine love)
• Viraha (separation)
• Meditation (dhyāna)
• Emotional fluctuation

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "karuna", "secondaryRasa": "shringara", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse legitimizes intense emotion within a sacred life: song, tears, and meditation can coexist. It teaches that devotion and remembrance (smaraṇa/dhyāna) transform grief into a spiritual mode rather than mere despair.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Carita (narrative episode) connected to deva-carita and the Dakṣa-Satī cycle (often embedded within broader mythic histories). It is not a creation or dissolution passage; it supports dharma-teaching through exemplary divine conduct.

What is the symbolic significance?

The repeated ‘kṣaṇam’ depicts the mind’s waves (vṛtti): aesthetic expression (gāna), sorrow (rodana), and yogic recollection (dhyāna). Satī as ‘Dakṣa-kanyā’ anchors the memory in the Dakṣa-yajña rupture—an emblem of how wounded honor/ritual conflict can culminate in transformative devotion.