Vamana Purana — Nara-Narayana's Tapas, Shloka 10

Nara-Narayana’s Tapas, Indra’s Temptation, and the Burning of Kama: The Origin of Ananga and the Shiva-Linga Episode

Devanagari script

शिशिरं नाम मातङ्गं विदार्य नखरैरिव वसन्तकेसरी प्राप्तः पलाशकुसुमैर्मुने

Transliteration

śiśiraṃ nāma mātaṅgaṃ vidārya nakharairiva vasantakesarī prāptaḥ palāśakusumairmune

Translation

ఓ మునీ! ‘శిశిర’మనే ఏనుగును గోళ్లతో చీల్చినట్లుగా, వసంతసింహం పలాశ పుష్పాలతో కూడి వచ్చెను।

Word by Word

• śiśiram: winter/cold season
• śiśiram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiśira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन)

• nāma: named / called
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), particle (निपात) meaning ‘named/indeed’

• mātaṅgam: elephant
• mātaṅgam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātaṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन); apposition to śiśiram

• vidārya: having torn apart
• vidārya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + dṛ (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), ‘having torn/split’

• nakharaiḥ: with claws/nails
• nakharaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nakhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया) Plural (बहुवचन)

• iva: as if/like
• iva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), simile particle (उपमा-वाचक)

• vasanta-kesarī: Spring, the lion
• vasanta-kesarī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasanta + kesarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular (एकवचन); karmadhāraya ‘spring (as) lion’ i.e., ‘the lion-like Spring’

• prāptaḥ: has arrived
• prāptaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prāp (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Singular (एकवचन); used predicatively ‘has come/arrived’

• palāśa-kusumaiḥ: with palāśa blossoms
• palāśa-kusumaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: palāśa + kusuma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया) Plural (बहुवचन); tatpuruṣa ‘palāśasya kusumaiḥ’

• mune: O sage
• mune: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन) Singular (एकवचन)

Speakers

• Narrative address ‘mune’ suggests a speaker addressing a sage; exact named interlocutors not present in the excerpt (often Pulastya → Nārada overall)

Key Themes

• Seasonal allegory
• Nature symbolism
• Poetic personification

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Adversity (winter) is temporary; the rhythm of time (ṛtu-cakra) restores vitality. The ethical hint is patience and confidence in dharma: endurance through hardship is rewarded by renewal.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Not directly one of the five lakṣaṇas; it functions as supportive narration (carita/varṇana) within a larger tīrtha/āśrama account.

What is the symbolic significance?

The lion-versus-elephant metaphor dramatizes spring’s victorious energy over inertia and coldness. Palāśa blossoms—often associated with seasonal rites and vivid vitality—signal the reawakening of life and ritual auspiciousness.