Vamana Purana — Sin-Destroying Hymn (Part 2), Shloka 4

The Second Sin-Destroying Hymn (Pāpaśamana Stava) and Syncretic Praise of Hari-Hara

Devanagari script

ऊर्ध्वकेशं नृसिहं च रुपधारं कुरुध्वजम् कामपालमखण्डं च नमस्ये ब्राह्मणप्रियम्

Transliteration

ūrdhvakeśaṃ nṛsihaṃ ca rupadhāraṃ kurudhvajam kāmapālamakhaṇḍaṃ ca namasye brāhmaṇapriyam

Translation

{"scene_description": "A sacred map with three focal shrines: Māhiṣmatī city-ghāṭa with Śiva (three-eyed) and a blazing Agni altar; Arbuda mountain with a deity titled Tri-sauparṇa (render with three Garuḍa/wing motifs or a triple-bird emblem); Sūkarācala hill with Kṣmādhara (earth-bearer) shown as Viṣṇu’s Varāha-associated strength or a mountain-bearing figure.", "primary_figures": ["Śiva (Trinayana)", "Agni (Hutāśana)", "Tri-sauparṇa (localized form)", "Kṣmādhara (earth-bearer form)", "pilgrims/ṛṣis"], "setting": "City by river, mountain peak, and forested hill—composite pilgrimage panorama.", "color_palette": ["ash grey", "flame orange", "mountain ochre", "emerald green", "gold"], "tanjore_prompt": "Tanjore composite: Māhiṣmatī panel with Trinayana Śiva under gold arch and adjacent Agni kuṇḍa with flames; Arbuda panel with mountain shrine and Tri-sauparṇa emblem (three-winged Garuḍa motif) in gold; Sūkarācala panel with Kṣmādhara as powerful earth-bearer/Varāha-associated icon; heavy jewelry, embossed halos, rich reds and greens.", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature landscape: river-city Māhiṣmatī with small Śiva temple and fire altar; distant Arbuda mountain with a triple-bird banner; Sūkarācala hill with boar-associated shrine; soft pastels, fine pilgrims walking paths.", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural frieze: Śiva with three eyes and Agni flames stylized; Arbuda mountain with emblematic Tri-sauparṇa; Kṣmādhara rendered with strong stance and earth motifs; bold outlines, temple border ornaments.", "pattachitra_prompt": "Pattachitra scroll: sequential frames—Trinayana Śiva, Hutāśana fire altar, Arbuda with Tri-sauparṇa banner, Sūkarācala with Kṣmādhara; flat colors, patterned flames and mountains, decorative borders."}

Speakers

• Unspecified in the provided excerpt; continues the stuti sequence within the chapter’s narrative frame.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Narasimha
• Varaha (implied by boar-banner)

Key Themes

• Protective wrath (ugra) in divine forms
• Avatāra doctrine (multiple manifestations)
• Dharma and Vedic guardianship (brāhmaṇapriya)
• Non-dual sovereignty (akhaṇḍa)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘ūrdhvakeśa’ convey in a devotional context?

It signals a terrifying, energized divine presence—hair standing on end is a conventional marker of wrathful potency, fitting a hymn that includes Narasiṃha and other protective, forceful aspects of Vishnu.

How should ‘kurudhvajam’ be understood—does it refer to Varāha?

Yes, the ‘boar-banner’ naturally evokes Varāha symbolism: either Vishnu in boar-form or Vishnu marked by the boar emblem, both pointing to the cosmic rescue motif associated with Varāha.

Why call Vishnu ‘brāhmaṇapriya’ in the Vāmana Purāṇa?

The Vāmana/Trivikrama cycle is tightly linked to Vedic ritual order (yajña, dāna, vows, and the authority of brāhmaṇas). ‘Brāhmaṇapriya’ underscores Vishnu as protector of that dharmic framework, even when confronting powerful kings like Bali.