Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Pilgrimage, Shloka 38

Prahlada’s Pilgrimage and the Origin of the Sudarshana–Trishula Exchange (Jalodbhava Episode)

Devanagari script

एवं विधानतो ब्रह्मन्नक्षत्राङ्गो जनार्दनः पूजितो रूपधारी यैस्तैः प्राप्ता तु सुकामिता

Transliteration

evaṃ vidhānato brahmannakṣatrāṅgo janārdanaḥ pūjito rūpadhārī yaistaiḥ prāptā tu sukāmitā

Translation

ഓ ബ്രാഹ്മണാ, ഇങ്ങനെ വിധിപ്രകാരം ‘നക്ഷത്രാംഗ’ ജനാർദനനെ പൂജിച്ചാൽ, ഇഷ്ടരൂപം ധരിക്കുന്ന (അഥവാ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്ന) ഉപാസകർ തങ്ങളുടെ മനോവാഞ്ഛിത ഫലം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Speakers

• Not specified; the vocative ‘brahman’ indicates the speaker addresses a Brahmin interlocutor (common Purāṇic dialogue frame).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Janardana/Govinda)

Key Themes

• Ritual correctness (vidhi) and efficacy
• Phalaśruti generalization
• Iṣṭa-siddhi (attainment of desired ends)
• Cosmic form theology (Nakṣatrāṅga)
• Bhakti and pūjā

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘vidhānataḥ’ imply about the kind of worship being recommended?

It emphasizes worship performed in accordance with prescribed ritual procedure (vidhi)—proper offerings, timing, purity, and intention. In tīrtha-māhātmyas, this often means that the sacred place amplifies merit, but correct observance ensures the promised fruit.

Does ‘rūpadhārī’ refer to Viṣṇu or to the devotee?

Grammatically it can be read either way. In Purāṇic style, it can point to Viṣṇu as the ‘assumer of forms’ (supporting avatāra theology), while also suggesting that worshippers may ‘bear’ or attain the form/quality they seek (beauty, radiance, sovereignty), as illustrated in the preceding exempla.

How do verses 54.36–38 function as a unit?

They move from a specific precedent (Āditya obtaining a son) to a catalog of diverse attainments (beauty, eloquence, radiance, kingship), and finally to a universal rule: worship of Janārdana in the prescribed manner yields the worshipper’s desired aims—typical of a māhātmya’s persuasive structure.