Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 91

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

Devanagari script

यथा विष्णुमयं सर्वं ब्रह्मदि सचराचरम् यच्च ज्ञानपरिच्छेद्यं पापं नश्यतु मे तथा

Transliteration

yathā viṣṇumayaṃ sarvaṃ brahmadi sacarācaram yacca jñānaparicchedyaṃ pāpaṃ naśyatu me tathā

Translation

“Just as everything—beginning with Brahmā, the moving and the unmoving—is pervaded by Viṣṇu; so too may that sin of mine which is delimited (only) by knowledge (i.e., known/ascertainable as sin) be destroyed.”

Speakers

• Not specified in the excerpt; voiced as a doctrinal prayer within the chapter’s expiatory/pilgrimage frame.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Brahma

Key Themes

• Viṣṇu-pervasion of cosmos (viṣṇumayatva)
• Pāpa-nāśa through jñāna and remembrance
• Cosmic hierarchy (Brahmā onward)
• Animate–inanimate totality

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘viṣṇumayaṃ sarvam’ imply in Purāṇic theology?

It asserts that the cosmos is permeated by Viṣṇu as its inner reality and sustaining principle. In Purāṇic idiom this supports devotion and purification: recognizing the world as ‘of Viṣṇu’ reorients the mind away from ego and toward dharma.

How should ‘jñāna-paricchedyaṃ pāpam’ be understood?

Literally, ‘sin that is delimited by knowledge’—i.e., wrongdoing that can be recognized, named, and confessed as pāpa. The phrase highlights moral discernment (jñāna) as part of expiation: what is clearly known as wrong is to be relinquished and dissolved.

Why mention ‘Brahmā and all moving/unmoving beings’?

To indicate totality: from the highest created deity (Brahmā) down to all forms of life and matter. The prayer’s logic is: if Viṣṇu pervades absolutely everything, then no impurity is beyond the reach of that pervading sanctity.