Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 20
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
आचक्षुश्चरितं ताभ्यां धर्मजाभ्यां महामुने देवाराजाय कामाद्यास्ततो ऽभृद् विस्मयः परः
ācakṣuścaritaṃ tābhyāṃ dharmajābhyāṃ mahāmune devārājāya kāmādyāstato 'bhṛd vismayaḥ paraḥ
மகாமுனியே, தர்மஜர்களான அந்த இருவரும் தேவராஜன் இந்திரனுக்கு நிகழ்ந்த நிகழ்வின் வரலாற்றை அறிவித்தனர்; அப்போது காமன் முதலியோருக்கு உச்சமான வியப்பு எழுந்தது।
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FAQs
Even the ‘devārāja’ is subject to surprise when confronted with extraordinary dharma/karma patterns. The mention of Kāma foregrounds how desire and its retinue can shape perception and reaction, implying the need for discernment (viveka) when confronted with enchanting or unprecedented events.
This remains within narrative/carita material (vṛttānta) rather than cosmogenesis. It functions as connective tissue in an episodic account, reporting events to a superior authority (Indra).
‘Kāmādyāḥ’ with ‘vismayaḥ’ can be read as the stirring of the inner faculties—desire, fascination, and wonder—that precede action. In Purāṇic storytelling, this often signals an impending test or turning-point driven by enchantment or exceptional merit.