Shloka 83

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

Devanagari script

अजं वरेण्यं वरपद्मनाभं नारायणं ब्रह्मनिधिं सुरेशम् तं देवगुह्यं पुरुषं पुराणं वन्दाम्यहं लोकपतिं वरेण्यम्

Transliteration

ajaṃ vareṇyaṃ varapadmanābhaṃ nārāyaṇaṃ brahmanidhiṃ sureśam taṃ devaguhyaṃ puruṣaṃ purāṇaṃ vandāmyahaṃ lokapatiṃ vareṇyam

Translation

[{"question": "What are mahāpātakas and upapātakas in classical dharma literature?", "answer": "Mahāpātakas are the gravest transgressions (often listed as five major sins), while upapātakas are secondary offenses. The verse uses this taxonomy to claim that japa’s purificatory scope extends from the most severe to lesser sins."}, {"question": "Why mention “seven births”? Is it literal or rhetorical?", "answer": "Purāṇic idiom often uses numbered spans (like seven) to indicate a long karmic horizon. It can be read as both a literal claim within rebirth doctrine and a rhetorical intensifier: even deeply accumulated demerit is said to be removable."}, {"question": "How does this connect to tīrtha-mahātmya sections of the Vāmana Purāṇa?", "answer": "Tīrtha sections frequently pair geography with soteriology: sacred places and sacred practices (like japa) are presented as accessible means of purification. This verse supplies the prāyaścitta logic that complements pilgrimage and ritual."}]

Word by Word

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Speakers

• Narrative voice/reciter offering a concluding stuti (immediately prior to Pulastya’s response in the next verse).

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (Nārāyaṇa)

Key Themes

• Vishnu-stuti
• Supreme Lordship (Īśvaratva)
• Cosmic Puruṣa theology
• Hiddenness of the divine (deva-guhya)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Nārāyaṇa called “deva-guhya” (hidden even to the gods)?

The epithet signals transcendence: even devas, though powerful, do not fully grasp the Supreme’s essence. It aligns with Purāṇic and Upaniṣadic idiom where the highest reality is subtle, inward, and not exhaustively knowable through status or power.

What does “brahma-nidhi” mean here—Brahmā’s treasure or Vedic Brahman?

In stuti usage, brahma-nidhi typically means the repository of brahman: the Veda, sacred knowledge, and the ultimate principle. It can also imply that all creative potency (often associated with Brahmā) rests in Viṣṇu as its source.

Does this verse connect to the Vāmana/Trivikrama episode directly?

Not explicitly by name; it functions as a universal Viṣṇu-praise that can frame any Viṣṇu narrative. In the Vāmana Purāṇa’s style, such stutis often serve as transitions or culminations around narrative units.