Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 6
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
तदेव वदनं चारु स्वक्षिभ्रूकुटिलालकम् सुनासावंशाधरोष्ठमालोकनपरायणम्
tadeva vadanaṃ cāru svakṣibhrūkuṭilālakam sunāsāvaṃśādharoṣṭhamālokanaparāyaṇam
അവളുടെ മുഖം തന്നെയായിരുന്നു അത്യന്തം മനോഹരം—സുന്ദരമായ കണ്ണുകളും ഭ്രൂവിലാസവും വളഞ്ഞ അലകുകളും; സുന്ദര നാസാവംശവും മൃദുല അധരങ്ങളും—കാണുന്നതിൽ തന്നെ മനസ്സിനെ ആകർഷിക്കുന്നത്।
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FAQs
The text uses disciplined description to show how the senses become absorbed; implicitly it warns that attention (āloka) can bind the mind—hence later traditions often stress governing the gaze and redirecting aesthetic experience toward higher contemplation.
As poetic rūpa-varṇana embedded in mythic narration, it remains within Vaṃśānucarita/ākhyāna (supplementary narrative material) rather than the core five marks like sarga/pratisarga.
Facial features become symbols of the ‘entry points’ of desire—eyes and brows (saṅkalpa/attention), hair (allure), lips (speech and sensual promise). ‘Ālokanaparāyaṇam’ signals the power of form (rūpa) to capture consciousness.