Vamana Purana — Gajendra's Deliverance, Shloka 38

Gajendra’s Deliverance and the Protective Power of Remembrance (Japa)

Devanagari script

नमो नमः कारणवामनाय नारायणायामितविक्रमाय श्रीशार्ङ्गचक्रासिगदाधराय नमो ऽस्तु तस्मै पुरुषोत्तमाय

Transliteration

namo namaḥ kāraṇavāmanāya nārāyaṇāyāmitavikramāya śrīśārṅgacakrāsigadādharāya namo 'stu tasmai puruṣottamāya

Translation

କାରଣ-ବାମନଙ୍କୁ ପୁନଃପୁନଃ ନମସ୍କାର; ଅମିତ ବିକ୍ରମଶାଳୀ ନାରାୟଣଙ୍କୁ ନମସ୍କାର। ଶ୍ରୀଶାର୍ଙ୍ଗ ଧନୁ, ଚକ୍ର, ଖଡ୍ଗ ଓ ଗଦାଧାରୀ ସେହି ପୁରୁଷୋତ୍ତମଙ୍କୁ ନମସ୍କାର।

Speakers

• Unnamed eulogist/narrator voice continuing the stuti
• addressing Viṣṇu in Vāmana/Trivikrama resonance.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vamana/Trivikrama/Narayana)

Key Themes

• Vamana–Trivikrama theology
• Supreme causality (kāraṇa)
• Vaishnava iconography (weapons)
• Stuti as merit-generating act

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is meant by “Kāraṇa-Vāmana”?

It identifies the Vāmana form not merely as a historical avatāra episode but as the causal principle itself—the Supreme who is the source (kāraṇa) of the cosmos, choosing to appear in a humble dwarf-form for līlā and dharma-restoration.

Does “amita-vikrama” point to Trivikrama even though “Trivikrama” is not named?

Yes. “Immeasurable stride” is a hallmark of the Trivikrama act—measuring the worlds in three steps. The epithet compresses the Vāmana narrative’s climax into a single theological descriptor.

Why list the bow, discus, sword, and mace in a tīrtha hymn?

The weapons function as iconographic identifiers and as symbols of divine protection: cakra (cosmic order), gadā (strength), asi (discriminating power), and śārṅga (sovereign mastery). In a pilgrimage setting, such stutis ritually ‘install’ the deity’s presence through remembered form (dhyāna) and praise.