Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 41
The Aśūnyaśayana Vow: Expiation, Viṣṇu’s Theophany, and Liberation for Divyā Devī
किं ब्रह्मा वा भवान्विष्णुः किं वा शंकर एव हि । एवमुक्त्वा प्रणम्यैवं दंडवद्धरणीं गता
kiṃ brahmā vā bhavānviṣṇuḥ kiṃ vā śaṃkara eva hi | evamuktvā praṇamyaivaṃ daṃḍavaddharaṇīṃ gatā
“நீர் பிரம்மாவா? அல்லது விஷ்ணுவா? அல்லது உண்மையிலே சங்கரரா?” என்று கூறி அவள் வணங்கி, தண்டவத் நமஸ்காரமாக தரையில் விழுந்தாள்.
Unspecified female speaker in the immediate context (speaker not identifiable from this single verse alone).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Sandhi Resolution Notes: भवान्विष्णुः = भवान् + विष्णुः; एवमुक्त्वा = एवम् + उक्त्वा; प्रणम्यैवं = प्रणम्य + एवम्; दंडवद्धरणीं = दण्डवत् + धरणीम्
FAQs
It depicts awe and uncertainty before a divine or extraordinary presence, expressed by asking whether the figure is Brahmā, Viṣṇu, or Śiva—followed by reverent surrender through prostration.
Daṇḍavat is full-body prostration—lying straight “like a staff.” In Purāṇic and bhakti settings it signifies complete humility, devotion, and submission before the sacred.
The verse highlights humility and reverence: when faced with the sacred or the unknown divine, one responds not with pride but with respectful inquiry and sincere obeisance.