Vamana Purana — Gajendra's Deliverance, Shloka 13

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

Devanagari script

द्वितीयं राजतं शृङ्गं सेवते यं निशाकरः पाण्डुराम्बुदसंकाशं तुषारचयसंनिभम्

Transliteration

dvitīyaṃ rājataṃ śṛṅgaṃ sevate yaṃ niśākaraḥ pāṇḍurāmbudasaṃkāśaṃ tuṣāracayasaṃnibham

Translation

రెండవ శిఖరం రజతమయం; దానిని నిశాకరుడు (చంద్రుడు) సేవిస్తాడు. అది తెల్లని మేఘంలా కనిపించి, తుషారరాశి (హిమసమూహం) వలె ఉంటుంది।

Speakers

• Not specified in input (context likely a narrator continuing a description of a sacred mountain/region).

Primary Deities

• Chandra (Niśākara)

Key Themes

• Sacred geography and landscape sacrality
• Cosmic bodies venerating sacred space (Moon as attendant)
• Imagery of whiteness/purity (cloud, frost/snow)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are Sun and Moon described as attending different peaks?

The pairing creates a cosmic mapping onto geography: distinct summits are sacralized by association with solar and lunar powers, implying the site’s completeness (day/night, heat/coolness) and exceptional merit for pilgrimage.

Does ‘tuṣāra’ imply a Himalayan setting?

‘Tuṣāra’ can indicate frost/snow imagery, which often evokes high elevations, but Purāṇic descriptions also use such similes to convey brilliance and purity. The precise identification depends on the missing antecedent place-name in the surrounding text.

What is the function of these similes (cloud, frost-heap) in a Māhātmya?

They are not mere ornament: they encode auspicious qualities (śubhatā), sensory vividness for pilgrims, and a hierarchy of sacred topography (distinct, extraordinary peaks).