Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Pilgrimage, Shloka 34

Prahlada’s Pilgrimage and the Origin of the Sudarshana–Trishula Exchange (Jalodbhava Episode)

Devanagari script

वाङ्माधुर्यं तथा कान्ति यच्चान्यदभिवाञ्छितम् ददाति नक्षत्रपुमान् पूजितस्तु जनार्दनः

Transliteration

vāṅmādhuryaṃ tathā kānti yaccānyadabhivāñchitam dadāti nakṣatrapumān pūjitastu janārdanaḥ

Translation

tatra-sthena: by one who is present there (i.e., the kṣetra-deity). sureśa: 'Lord of the gods' (a title that can denote Śiva or Indra; in this Mahākāla context it most naturally refers to Śiva as supreme). bhūpati: king. Śvetakir: proper name of the king (Śvetakir-nāma). rakṣitaḥ: protected/saved. Antaka: 'Ender/Death'; also a named demonic/personified death figure in Purāṇic narratives. dagdhvā: having burned (reduced to ashes). sarva-bhūta-apahārin: one who carries off/robs all beings; an epithet suited to Death (who takes life) or a destructive being.

Speakers

• (Context of Adhyāya 54) Instructional narration addressed to Nārada (explicitly named in the next verse)
• describing the boons of worship.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Janārdana)

Key Themes

• Nakṣatra-based observance
• Eloquence (vāṅmādhurya)
• Kānti/tejas (radiance)
• Iṣṭa-kāma (fulfillment of desires)
• Bhakti and pūjā

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘Nakṣatrapuruṣa’ mean in Purāṇic ritual language?

It is a conceptual ‘cosmic person’ whose limbs or aspects correspond to the nakṣatras (lunar mansions). Worshipping Janārdana in this form aligns devotion with cosmic order (ṛta), making the rite both devotional and cosmological.

Why is sweetness of speech singled out as a boon?

Vāṅmādhurya is a valued sign of sattva and divine favor in Purāṇic ethics: it supports dharma through truthful, pleasing, and persuasive speech—important for teaching, counsel, and social harmony.

Is this a promise of any desire whatsoever?

The phrase ‘yad cānyad abhivāñchitam’ is a conventional phalaśruti formula. Traditionally it presumes desires pursued within dharma; the surrounding chapter’s vrata discipline (fasting, worship, purity) frames the request ethically.