Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 50
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
अथोवाच दितीशस्तौ का शक्तिर्युवयोरिह मयि तिष्ठति दैत्येन्द्रे धर्मसेतुप्रवर्तके
athovāca ditīśastau kā śaktiryuvayoriha mayi tiṣṭhati daityendre dharmasetupravartake
അപ്പോൾ ദിതിവംശാധിപൻ ആ രണ്ടുപേരോടു പറഞ്ഞു— “ഞാൻ ഇവിടെ നില്ക്കുമ്പോൾ—ഞാൻ ദൈത്യേന്ദ്രൻ, ധർമ്മസേതുവിന്റെ പ്രവർത്തകൻ—നിങ്ങൾക്കിവിടെ എന്ത് ശക്തിയുണ്ട്?”
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FAQs
The verse highlights a common purāṇic critique: power can co-opt the language of dharma. The Daitya claims to be a “dharmasetu-pravartaka,” illustrating how authority may self-legitimate even when opposed to divine order.
Vamśānucarita / narrative episode: a dialogic confrontation embedded in legendary accounts, serving to set up the avatāra’s demonstration of supremacy.
“Dharma-setu” symbolizes boundaries that restrain chaos; the Daitya’s appropriation of this title signals inverted order—an asuric tendency to claim guardianship of dharma while challenging its true source.