Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 16
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
इत्थं संचितयन्नेव अवष्टभाप्सरोगणम् तस्थौ मुनिरिव ध्यानमास्थितः स तु माधवः
itthaṃ saṃcitayanneva avaṣṭabhāpsarogaṇam tasthau muniriva dhyānamāsthitaḥ sa tu mādhavaḥ
இவ்வாறு சிந்தித்தபடியே அப்சரைகளின் கூட்டத்தை அடக்கி, அந்த மாதவன் தியானத்தில் நிலைத்த முனிவனைப் போல உறுதியாக நின்றான்।
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FAQs
The verse foregrounds mastery over the senses: even amid provocations (apsarās), the divine exemplar remains steady like a muni in dhyāna. The ethical lesson is that true power includes inner restraint, not merely outward dominion.
This is best classified under Vamśānucarita/Carita-style narrative material (accounts of divine deeds) rather than cosmogenesis (sarga/pratisarga). It functions as an episode illustrating dharma and divine comportment.
Apsarās often symbolize sensory allure and distraction; Mādhava standing 'like a sage' signals the integration of bhoga-śakti and yoga-śakti—sovereignty that is simultaneously contemplative and unshaken.