Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Victory through Bhakti, Shloka 54

Prahlada’s Defeat in Battle and Victory through Bhakti (Nara-Narayana Episode)

Devanagari script

त्वं पृथ्वी ज्योतिराकाशं जलं भूत्वा सहस्रशः त्वया व्याप्तं जगत्सर्वं कस्त्वां जेष्यति माधव

Transliteration

tvaṃ pṛthvī jyotirākāśaṃ jalaṃ bhūtvā sahasraśaḥ tvayā vyāptaṃ jagatsarvaṃ kastvāṃ jeṣyati mādhava

Translation

നീ ഭൂമി, ജ്യോതി/അഗ്നി, ആകാശം, ജലം ആയി ആയിരംവിധം ഭവിക്കുന്നു. നിനക്കാൽ സകല ജഗത്തും വ്യാപ്തമാണ്; ഹേ മാധവ, നിന്നെ ആര് ജയിക്കും?

Word by Word

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन

• पृथ्वी: earth
• पृथ्वी: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथ्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन

• ज्योतिः: light
• ज्योतिः: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्योतिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन

• आकाशम्: sky/space
• आकाशम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya (क्रिया-अनुबन्ध/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having become’

• सहस्रशः: in thousands; manifoldly
• सहस्रशः: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/परिमाण-अव्यय (adverb: in thousands; manifold)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• व्याप्तम्: pervaded
• व्याप्तम्: Kriya (क्रिया/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ (passive sense)

• जगत्: the world
• जगत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन

• सर्वम्: all/entire
• सर्वम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of जगत्)

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (Acc/2nd), एकवचन

• जेष्यति: will conquer
• जेष्यति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• माधव: O Mādhava (Viṣṇu)
• माधव: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माधव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speakers

• Unspecified in input (continuation of the same hymn addressing Vishnu)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Non-dual/Unitive Theism
• Cosmic Immanence
• Bhakti (praise)
• Cosmology (elements)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The Lord is not merely a distant ruler but the very substance and support of the world. The ethical implication is humility and surrender: worldly power cannot 'defeat' the one who is the basis of all existence.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is closest to Sarga/Pratisarga in spirit, presenting the divine as constituting and pervading the elements that make up the cosmos, though conveyed devotionally rather than as a step-by-step creation account.

What is the symbolic significance?

By naming core elements (earth, light/tejas, space, water), the verse signals that every experiential domain is a locus of the divine. The rhetorical question about conquest negates any notion of a rival ultimate power.