Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 43
The Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu (Vishnu-Pañjara) and the Redemption of a Rakshasa
राक्षस उवाच षष्ठे काले त्वमाहारः क्षुधितस्य समागतः निःश्रीकस्यातिपापस्य निर्घृणस्य द्विजद्रुहः
rākṣasa uvāca ṣaṣṭhe kāle tvamāhāraḥ kṣudhitasya samāgataḥ niḥśrīkasyātipāpasya nirghṛṇasya dvijadruhaḥ
{"recitation_mood": "Descriptive and sensuous, lightly suspenseful", "suggested_raga": "KVamana Purana,59,44,VamP 59.44,brāhmaṇa uvāca yadyavaśyaṃ tvayā cāhaṃ bhakṣitavyo niśācara āyāsyāmi tavādyaiva nivedya gurave phalam,ब्राह्मण उवाच यद्यवश्यं त्वया चाहं भक्षितव्यो निशाचर आयास्यामि तवाद्यैव निवेद्य गुरवे फलम्,Unspecified (Adhyaya 59 narrative episode),Dharma Teaching / Vow-keeping,Adhyaya 59 (title not provided in input),44,brāhmaṇa uvāca yadyavaśyaṃ tvayā cāhaṃ bhakṣitavyo niśācara āyāsyāmi tavādyaiva nivedya gurave phalam,brāhmaṇa uvāca yady avaśyaṃ tvayā cāhaṃ bhakṣitavyo niśācara āyāsyāmi tava adyaiva nivedya gurave phalam,The Brāhmaṇa said: “If I must indeed be eaten by you
{ "primaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "secondaryRasa": "raudra", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Śrī signifies prosperity, auspiciousness, and divine radiance (often personified as Lakṣmī). Calling himself niḥśrīka implies moral-spiritual deprivation: his cruelty has driven away auspiciousness and merit, not merely material wealth.
Literally “on the sixth occasion/time.” In Purāṇic storytelling, such time-counts can indicate a recurring pattern (e.g., periodic feeding, a vow, or a destined cycle). Without surrounding verses, it is best read as a narrative cue that this is not the first such event.
Harming the twice-born—especially Brāhmaṇas—is a paradigmatic transgression in dharma literature. The rākṣasa’s identity is defined by this hostility, heightening the ethical stakes and foreshadowing consequences (punishment, curse, or reversal).