Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 39

The Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu (Vishnu-Pañjara) and the Redemption of a Rakshasa

Devanagari script

न चखाद स सत्त्वानि क्षुधा संबाधितो ऽपि सन् षष्ठे षष्ठे तदा काले जन्तुमेकमभक्षयत्

Transliteration

na cakhāda sa sattvāni kṣudhā saṃbādhito 'pi san ṣaṣṭhe ṣaṣṭhe tadā kāle jantumekamabhakṣayat

Translation

ക്ഷുധകൊണ്ട് പീഡിതനായിരുന്നിട്ടും അവൻ ജീവികളെ തിന്നില്ല; അപ്പോൾ ഓരോ ആറാം കാലാന്തരത്തിലും ഒരൊറ്റ ജീവിയെ മാത്രമേ ഭക്ഷിച്ചിരുന്നുള്ളൂ.

Speakers

• Narrator voice describing the rākṣasa’s self-imposed discipline.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

Key Themes

• Ahiṃsā (non-violence) as gradual practice
• Tapas through restraint
• Prāyaścitta via controlled appetite
• Ethical rehabilitation

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

How should “ṣaṣṭhe ṣaṣṭhe kāle” be understood—every sixth day?

The phrase literally means ‘at each sixth time/period.’ Commentarially it is taken as a fixed interval (often ‘every sixth day’), highlighting an extreme reduction of violence and consumption rather than a precise calendrical rule.

Why is partial restraint narrated instead of immediate complete non-violence?

Purāṇas frequently depict transformation as incremental. For a rākṣasa habituated to predation, the first step is regulated harm, moving toward fuller purification through vows and tīrtha-contact.

What dharmic principle is being taught through this regimen?

That prāyaścitta begins with saṃyama—mastery over appetite and impulse. Even before ritual expiation, ethical self-control is presented as the foundation of cleansing pāpa.