Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 5
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
ऊरूद्भवां स कन्दर्पो दृष्ट्वा सर्वाङ्गसुन्दरीम् अमन्यत तदानङ्गः किमियं सा प्रिया रतिः
ūrūdbhavāṃ sa kandarpo dṛṣṭvā sarvāṅgasundarīm amanyata tadānaṅgaḥ kimiyaṃ sā priyā ratiḥ
ಊರುದಿಂದ ಉದ್ಭವಿಸಿದ ಸರ್ವಾಂಗಸುಂದರಿಯಾದ ಆ ಕನ್ಯೆಯನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ಅನಂಗನಾದ ಕಂದರ್ಪನು ಆಗ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಯೋಚಿಸಿದನು—“ಇವಳು ಯಾರು? ಇವಳೇ ನನ್ನ ಪ್ರಿಯಾ ರತಿಯೋ?”
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FAQs
Desire (kāma) seeks its proper counterpart (rati) rather than indiscriminate indulgence; the narrative channels attraction toward relational harmony, implying that kāma becomes constructive when paired with a fitting, dharmically oriented bond.
It functions as Vaṃśānucarita-style mythic narration about a deity (Kāma) and his consort (Rati), supplying an etiological explanation rather than cosmogenesis or dynastic royal genealogy.
Calling Kāma ‘Anaṅga’ (bodiless) highlights desire’s subtle, non-material force; his recognition of Rati suggests that desire requires a complementary principle—delight/attachment—so that the impulse becomes intelligible and narratively ‘embodied’ in the world.