Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 36

Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti

Devanagari script

प्रह्लाद उवाच भगवन् कानि तीर्थानि पृथिव्यां कानि चाम्बरे रसातले च कानि स्युरेतद् वक्तुं ममार्हसि

Transliteration

prahlāda uvāca bhagavan kāni tīrthāni pṛthivyāṃ kāni cāmbare rasātale ca kāni syuretad vaktuṃ mamārhasi

Translation

ព្រះប្រាហ្លាទៈ បានមានព្រះវាចា៖ «ឱ ព្រះមានព្រះភាគ! តើទីរថៈណាខ្លះនៅលើផែនដី ទីរថៈណាខ្លះនៅលើមេឃ ហើយទីរថៈណាខ្លះនៅរាសាតល? សូមព្រះអង្គប្រាប់ខ្ញុំ»។

Word by Word

• prahlādaḥ: Prahlāda
• prahlādaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahlāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• bhagavan: O Lord
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• kāni: which (ones)
• kāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; interrogative pronoun used adjectivally

• tīrthāni: holy places
• tīrthāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• pṛthivyām: on earth
• pṛthivyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण/locative), एकवचन

• kāni: which (ones)
• kāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• ambare: in the sky
• ambare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ambara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• rasātale: in Rasātala (netherworld)
• rasātale: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rasātala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• kāni: which (ones)
• kāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• syuḥ: might be/are
• syuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• vaktum: to tell
• vaktum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/infinitive complement)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), ‘to speak/tell’

• mama: to me/of me
• mama: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• arhasi: you are able/ought
• arhasi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speakers

• Prahlāda addressing a revered interlocutor (likely a sage/authority figure in the immediate narrative)

Key Themes

• Tīrtha-mahātmya setup
• Cosmography (vertical worlds)
• Bhakti-inflected inquiry (Prahlāda as seeker)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Prahlāda’s question models the dhārmic posture of inquiry: sacredness is not merely local but pervades multiple planes of existence, and the seeker should learn from a qualified authority (guru/ṛṣi).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This functions as a gateway into tīrtha-mahātmya material (often embedded within carita). It is not itself sarga/pratisarga, but it cues cosmographic and didactic exposition typical of Purāṇas.

What is the symbolic significance?

By asking for tīrthas in earth, sky, and Rasātala, the text suggests that “crossings” (tīrtha = ford) exist for every level of being—outer pilgrimage mirrors inner transition from bondage to liberation.