Vamana Purana — Akhanda Ekadashi Vrata, Shloka 2

Akhaṇḍa-Ekādaśī Vrata and the Vaiṣṇava Protective Hymn; Prelude to the Kātyāyanī–Mahiṣāsura Narrative

Devanagari script

कन्दर्पस्य कराग्रे तु कदम्बश्चारुदर्शनः तेन तस्य परा प्रीतिः कदम्बेन विवर्द्धते

Transliteration

kandarpasya karāgre tu kadambaścārudarśanaḥ tena tasya parā prītiḥ kadambena vivarddhate

Translation

ਕੰਦਰਪ ਦੇ ਹੱਥ ਦੇ ਅਗਲੇ ਸਿਰੇ ਉੱਤੇ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਦਿਸਣ ਵਾਲਾ ਕਦੰਬ ਦਾ ਰੁੱਖ ਹੈ; ਉਸ ਕਦੰਬ ਕਰਕੇ ਉਸ ਦੀ ਪਰਮ ਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਵਧਦੀ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• kandarpasya: of Kandarpa (Cupid)
• kandarpasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kandarpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• kara-agre: at the hand’s tip
• kara-agre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kara (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘करस्य अग्रे’ = at the tip of the hand

• tu: indeed
• tu: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वय (particle: but/indeed)

• kadambaḥ: a kadamba tree
• kadambaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kadamba (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• cāru-darśanaḥ: beautiful-looking
• cāru-darśanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cāru (प्रातिपदिक) + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘चारु दर्शनं यस्य सः’ = having a lovely appearance

• tena: by that / thereby
• tena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (Instrumental/तृतीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tasya: his
• tasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• parā: supreme, great
• parā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• prītiḥ: affection, delight
• prītiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prīti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kadambena: by/through the kadamba (tree)
• kadambena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kadamba (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• vivarddhate: increases, grows
• vivarddhate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + vṛdh (वृध् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speakers

• Pulastya narrating/instructing (within Pulastya–Narada frame)

Primary Deities

• Kandarpa (Kāma)

Key Themes

• Vrata/Rituals
• Deity-Plant Associations
• Auspicious Symbols

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse encodes a ritual-aesthetic principle: the divine is approached through auspicious forms in nature. Beauty (cāru-darśana) is treated as a vehicle that elevates devotional mood and delight.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Not a core pancalakṣaṇa element; it belongs to the Purāṇic instructional layer on observances and sacred correspondences (plants, months, deities) used for ritual mapping.

What is the symbolic significance?

Kadamba, often linked with festive fragrance and sweetness, symbolizes the flourishing of rasa (aesthetic/emotive relish). Its placement ‘at Kandarpa’s hand’ suggests love’s agency and the immediacy of desire’s influence.