Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 42
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
ततो दितीश्वरः श्रीमान् मृगव्यां स चचार ह चरन् सरस्वतीं पुण्यां ददर्श विमलोदकाम्
tato ditīśvaraḥ śrīmān mṛgavyāṃ sa cacāra ha caran sarasvatīṃ puṇyāṃ dadarśa vimalodakām
Kemudian penguasa mulia dari garis Diti itu mengembara di tanah perburuan; ketika berjalan ia melihat Sungai Sarasvatī yang suci, berair jernih dan murni.
{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The vision of a ‘puṇyā’ river with ‘vimala’ waters underscores a recurring Purāṇic ethic: purity is accessible in the world, but one must align conduct with that purity; merely encountering sanctity does not neutralize predatory intent.
This is best classified under Vamśānucarita/Itihāsa narration with strong Tīrtha-māhātmya coloration, since the narrative foregrounds Sarasvatī as a sacred geographic actor.
Sarasvatī’s clear waters symbolize sattva, clarity, and Vedic continuity. Placing an asuric leader in a ‘mṛgavyā’ (hunt-space) beside a pure river creates a deliberate tension between predation and purification—often used to foreshadow moral testing or divine intervention.