Vamana Purana — Indra's Penance & Aditi's Vow, Shloka 11

Indra’s Penance at the Great River and Aditi’s Solar Vow for Vishnu’s Descent

Devanagari script

शङ्खचक्रगदापाणिर्माधवः पुरुषोत्तमः तं प्रपद्यस्व शरणं स ते श्रेयो विधास्यति

Transliteration

śaṅkhacakragadāpāṇirmādhavaḥ puruṣottamaḥ taṃ prapadyasva śaraṇaṃ sa te śreyo vidhāsyati

Translation

Sahasrākṣa: ‘thousand-eyed’ (epithet of Indra); Gurūṇām vacanam: the instruction/utterance of the teachers/elders; Niśamya: having heard attentively; Pro vāca: he said/spoke forth; Svalpa-kālena: in a short time; Kasmin: by what/through what (means or locus); Prāpyaḥ: attainable; Bahūdayaḥ: much rise/abundant prosperity (udaya = rise, success); Devatāḥ: the gods; Martye: in the mortal world/human realm; Mahodayaḥ: great rise, great prosperity.

Speakers

• Devas (elders/gurus) instructing Indra (Sahasrākṣa)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Mādhava/Puruṣottama)
• Indra

Key Themes

• Śaraṇāgati (taking refuge)
• Divine protection of devas
• Iconography of Viṣṇu (śaṅkha-cakra-gadā)
• Śreyas (highest welfare)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Viṣṇu described specifically as ‘bearing conch, discus, and mace’ here?

The verse uses standard Vaiṣṇava iconography to identify the refuge unambiguously: śaṅkha (proclamation of dharma), cakra (sovereign protection and removal of adharma), and gadā (divine strength). The emphasis is practical—Indra is being directed to the one power capable of restoring cosmic order.

What does ‘śreyas’ imply in this context—victory, salvation, or both?

Śreyas is deliberately broad: it can include immediate welfare (restoration of Indra’s position and the devas’ security) and ultimate good (alignment with dharma through surrender). Puranic counsel often frames political/cosmic outcomes as flowing from spiritual rightness (śaraṇāgati).

Is this verse part of a larger narrative arc connected to Vāmana/Trivikrama?

Yes. Such counsel to seek Viṣṇu’s refuge typically precedes the Vāmana intervention against Bali. The narrative logic is: devas are distressed → they approach higher counsel → surrender to Viṣṇu → Viṣṇu manifests an avatāra to re-balance sovereignty.