Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 5

Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti

Devanagari script

ऊरूद्भवां स कन्दर्पो दृष्ट्वा सर्वाङ्गसुन्दरीम् अमन्यत तदानङ्गः किमियं सा प्रिया रतिः

Transliteration

ūrūdbhavāṃ sa kandarpo dṛṣṭvā sarvāṅgasundarīm amanyata tadānaṅgaḥ kimiyaṃ sā priyā ratiḥ

Translation

ഊരുവിൽ നിന്നു ജനിച്ച സർവ്വാംഗസുന്ദരിയായ ആ കന്യയെ കണ്ട അനംഗനായ കന്ദർപ്പൻ അപ്പോൾ മനസ്സിൽ വിചാരിച്ചു—“ഇവൾ ആരാണ്? ഇവളോ എന്റെ പ്രിയ രതി?”

Word by Word

• ūrūdbhavām: (her) born from the thigh / thigh-born (woman)
• ūrūdbhavām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūrūdbhavā (प्रातिपदिक; ūrū + udbhavā)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Dvitīyā-vibhakti (Acc. 2), Ekavacana (sg.)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

• kandarpaḥ: Kandarpa (Cupid)
• kandarpaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kandarpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; pūrvakāla)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, अव्ययभाव), ‘having seen’

• sarvāṅgasundarīm: the woman beautiful in all limbs
• sarvāṅgasundarīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarvāṅgasundarī (प्रातिपदिक; sarva-aṅga-sundarī)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Dvitīyā-vibhakti (Acc. 2), Ekavacana (sg.)

• amanyata: thought / considered
• amanyata: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (धातु)
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra (Imperfect/past), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana (sg.), Ātmanepada

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Kāla-avyaya (temporal adverb)

• anaṅgaḥ: Ananga (the bodiless one; Cupid)
• anaṅgaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anaṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

• kim: what?
• kim: Prashna (प्रश्न; interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकaliṅga (n.), Prathamā/Dvitīyā (Nom./Acc.), Ekavacana (sg.)

• iyam: this (woman)
• iyam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

• priyā: beloved / dear
• priyā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

• ratiḥ: Rati (goddess of love)
• ratiḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण; predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Prathamā-vibhakti (Nom. 1), Ekavacana (sg.)

Speakers

• Not specified in the provided excerpt (likely narrated within the frame dialogue)

Primary Deities

• Kandarpa (Kāma/Ananga)
• Rati (implied/identified)

Key Themes

• Personification of kāma and rati
• Recognition motif
• Idealized feminine beauty (sarvāṅga-saundarya)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

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.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

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.

What is the symbolic significance?

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.