Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 41

The Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu (Vishnu-Pañjara) and the Redemption of a Rakshasa

Devanagari script

स कदाचित्क्षुधाविष्टः पर्यटन् विपुले वने ददर्शाथ फलाहारमागतं ब्रह्मचारिणम् // 59.40 गृहीतो रक्षसा तेन स तदा मुनिदारकः निराशो जीविते प्राह सामपूर्वं निशाचरम्

Transliteration

sa kadācitkṣudhāviṣṭaḥ paryaṭan vipule vane dadarśātha phalāhāramāgataṃ brahmacāriṇam // 59.40 gṛhīto rakṣasā tena sa tadā munidārakaḥ nirāśo jīvite prāha sāmapūrvaṃ niśācaram

Translation

Once, afflicted by hunger, while wandering in a vast forest, he saw a brahmacārin who had come, living on fruits. Seized by that rākṣasa, the sage’s young disciple—having lost hope for his life—addressed the night-roaming being first with conciliatory words.

Speakers

• Narrator describes; then the munidāraka (brahmacārin) speaks to the rākṣasa (niśācara) using sāma (conciliation).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

Key Themes

• Brahmacarya and ascetic diet (phalāhāra)
• Dharma through non-violent speech (sāma)
• Peril and moral testing in the forest
• Possibility of converting violence through counsel

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is the brahmacārin described as ‘phalāhāra’?

Phalāhāra marks ascetic purity and minimal harm—an ethical contrast to the rākṣasa’s predatory hunger. It also signals that the captive is a disciplined practitioner, whose speech and conduct carry dharmic authority.

What does “sāmapūrvaṃ” indicate about the boy’s strategy?

It references the classical four upāyas (sāma, dāna, bheda, daṇḍa). The boy begins with sāma—gentle, reasoned persuasion—implying that even in mortal danger, dharma prefers pacific means before harsher measures.

Is the ‘vast forest’ a specific sacred geography site?

In these verses it is generic (vipula vana) without a proper toponym. In the Vāmana Purāṇa’s geography-driven chapters, such forests often function as transitional narrative space leading the characters toward a named tīrtha where purification or revelation occurs.