Vamana Purana — Nara-Narayana's Tapas, Shloka 16

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

Devanagari script

मञ्जरीभिर्विराजन्ते नदीकूलेषु वेतसाः वक्तुकामा इवाङ्गुल्या को ऽस्माकं सदृशो नगः

Transliteration

mañjarībhirvirājante nadīkūleṣu vetasāḥ vaktukāmā ivāṅgulyā ko 'smākaṃ sadṛśo nagaḥ

Translation

នៅតាមច្រាំងទន្លេ ដើមវេតសា (ដើមស្រដៀងវីឡូ) ភ្លឺរលោងដោយចង្កោមផ្កា។ ដូចជាចង់និយាយ ដូចម្រាមដៃលើកឡើង ហាក់បីដូចនិយាយថា៖ «ភ្នំមួយណាស្មើនឹងយើង?»

Word by Word

• मञ्जरीभिः: with clusters/blossoms
• मञ्जरीभिः: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मञ्जरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया, बहुवचन

• विराजन्ते: shine forth, are splendid
• विराजन्ते: क्रिया (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-राज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• नदी-कूलेषु: on river-banks
• नदी-कूलेषु: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक) + कूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘नद्याः कूलम्’ (river-bank)

• वेतसाः: willow/reed trees (vetasa)
• वेतसाः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेतस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• वक्तु-कामाः: wishing to speak
• वक्तु-कामाः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु; तुमुन् infinitive ‘वक्तु’) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘वक्तुं कामः’ (desirous to speak)

• इव: as if
• इव: अव्यय-सम्बन्ध (Comparative particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-वाचक अव्यय

• अङ्गुल्या: with a finger
• अङ्गुल्या: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गुली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया, एकवचन

• कः: who?
• कः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• अस्माकम्: of us
• अस्माकम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• सदृशः: similar, like
• सदृशः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying नगः)

• नगः: tree (lit. ‘not-going’), mountain (contextually tree)
• नगः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speakers

• Narrative voice within the Purāṇic frame (commonly Pulastya → Nārada; not explicit here)

Key Themes

• Personification of nature
• Sacred landscape aesthetics
• Hyperbolic praise (atiśayokti-like boast)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "hasya", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse encourages a contemplative gaze: the natural world ‘speaks’ to the attentive mind. Reverence for landscape—especially riverbanks—supports the Purāṇic ethic of honoring places that sustain life and spiritual practice.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is descriptive ornamentation rather than sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa content. In Purāṇic composition it commonly accompanies tīrtha-māhātmya or narrative transitions, preparing the audience for sanctity through aesthetic elevation.

What is the symbolic significance?

The catkins are likened to fingers raised to make a point—suggesting nature’s silent instruction. The ‘which mountain equals us?’ is playful inversion: humble riverbank trees adopt the grandeur of mountains, implying that sanctity is not only in the vast but also in the near and living.