Vamana Purana — Nara-Narayana's Tapas, Shloka 25
Nara-Narayana’s Tapas, Indra’s Temptation, and the Burning of Kama: The Origin of Ananga and the Shiva-Linga Episode
नारद उवाच किमर्थं कामदेवो ऽसौ देवदेवेन शंभुना दग्धस्तु कारणे कस्मिन्नेतद्व्याख्यातुमर्हसि
nārada uvāca kimarthaṃ kāmadevo 'sau devadevena śaṃbhunā dagdhastu kāraṇe kasminnetadvyākhyātumarhasi
Nārada disse: “Por que motivo aquele deus Kāma foi queimado por Śambhu, o Deus dos deuses? Por qual causa isso ocorreu? Deves explicá-lo.”
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FAQs
The verse models śāstric inquiry: moral understanding requires knowing causes (kāraṇa). It frames the burning of Kāma not as arbitrary wrath but as principled action tied to dharma and yogic restraint.
Devatānucarita in interrogative form—introducing the rationale for a deity-centered episode; it functions as a narrative hinge prompting the explanatory myth.
Calling Śiva ‘Devadeva’ emphasizes sovereignty over even cosmic impulses like desire; the request for ‘kāraṇa’ highlights that divine acts in Purāṇas often encode spiritual psychology (disciplining kāma).