Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 38

Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच श्रुत्वा तद्भार्गववचो दैत्यराजो महामुने नेमिषै गन्तुकामस्तु दानवानितदब्रवीत्

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca śrutvā tadbhārgavavaco daityarājo mahāmune nemiṣai gantukāmastu dānavānitadabravīt

Translation

Pulastya berkata: “Setelah mendengar kata-kata Bhārgava (Cyavana) itu, raja para Daitya, wahai maha resi, berhasrat pergi ke Naimiṣa, lalu berkata demikian kepada para Dānava.”

Word by Word

• pulastyaḥ: Pulastya
• pulastyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pulastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive), ‘having heard’

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; used adjectivally

• bhārgava-vacaḥ: Bhārgava’s words
• bhārgava-vacaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārgava + vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘भार्गवस्य वचः’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• daityarājaḥ: king of the Daityas
• daityarājaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘दैत्यानां राजा’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mahāmune: O great sage
• mahāmune: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• naimiṣe: to/in Naimiṣa
• naimiṣe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naimiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; (reading from sandhi ‘nemiṣai’ → ‘naimiṣe’)

• gantukāmaḥ: desirous to go
• gantukāmaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपपद: ‘गन्तुं कामः’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; qualifies daityarājaḥ

• tu: then/indeed
• tu: Sambandha/Avyaya (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• dānavān: the Dānava (demon)
• dānavān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; apposition to daityarājaḥ

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• abravīt: said/spoke
• abravīt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speakers

• Pulastya narrating; reported speech setup for the Daitya-king addressing Dānavas

Key Themes

• Dialogue Frame (reporting speech)
• Daitya–Sage Interaction
• Tīrtha-Māhātmya
• Pilgrimage Intention

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Even Daityas are portrayed as responsive to śāstra-guided counsel and attracted to tīrtha-merit; the ethical implication is that access to purification is not strictly birth-bound but action- and intention-bound (karma/saṅkalpa).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This belongs to narrative transmission (ākhyāna) embedded in cosmography/tīrtha-kathā—adjacent to vamśānucarita insofar as Daitya line figures (e.g., Prahlāda) act within the sacred landscape.

What is the symbolic significance?

The Daitya-king’s wish to go to Naimiṣa symbolizes the gravitational pull of dharma: sacred space “tames” hostility by redirecting power toward ritual order and communal discipline.