Vamana Purana — Sin-Destroying Hymn (Part 2), Shloka 26

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

Devanagari script

अप्रतर्क्यं चतुर्बाहुं सहस्रांशुं तपोमयम् नमस्ये धर्मराजानं देवं गरुडवाहनम्

Transliteration

apratarkyaṃ caturbāhuṃ sahasrāṃśuṃ tapomayam namasye dharmarājānaṃ devaṃ garuḍavāhanam

Translation

തർക്കത്തിന് അഗമ്യൻ, ചതുര്ബാഹു, സഹസ്രകിരണപ്രഭയാൽ ദീപ്തൻ, തപോമയൻ—ഗരുഡവാഹനനായ ധർമ്മരാജ ദേവനെ ഞാൻ നമസ്കരിക്കുന്നു.

Speakers

• Stuti voice within the narrative (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt) addressing the Supreme Lord (Viṣṇu)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Garuda

Key Themes

• Devotional praise (stuti)
• Supremacy of Viṣṇu
• Dharma as divine sovereignty
• Tapas (ascetic power)
• Iconography: four arms, Garuḍa vehicle

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is the Lord called ‘Dharma-rāja’ here—does it mean Yama?

In this verse the epithet is anchored by ‘caturbāhu’ and ‘garuḍavāhana,’ which are distinctive of Viṣṇu. Thus ‘Dharma-rāja’ functions as ‘the sovereign source and ruler of dharma,’ not as Yama (who is typically not Garuḍa-mounted nor four-armed in Purāṇic description).

What does ‘apratarkya’ imply in Purāṇic theology?

It signals that the Supreme is not exhausted by discursive logic (tarka). The Purāṇic stance is not anti-reason, but asserts that ultimate reality is fully known through devotion, revelation, and yogic realization beyond purely inferential methods.

How should ‘sahasrāṃśu’ be understood—Sun imagery or a specific deity?

It is a radiance metaphor: the Lord’s splendor is likened to the sun’s thousand rays. It does not shift the referent to Sūrya; rather it intensifies Viṣṇu’s tejas (divine brilliance) within the stuti.