Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 71

The Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu (Vishnu-Pañjara) and the Redemption of a Rakshasa

Devanagari script

केशवं चन्द्रसूर्याक्षं कंसकेशिनिषूदनम् प्रणतो ऽस्मि महाबाहुं स मे पापं व्यपोहतु

Transliteration

keśavaṃ candrasūryākṣaṃ kaṃsakeśiniṣūdanam praṇato 'smi mahābāhuṃ sa me pāpaṃ vyapohatu

Translation

చంద్రసూర్యములవంటి నేత్రాలు గల కేశవుడు, కంస-కేశినిషూదనుడు, మహాబాహువుకు నేను ప్రణామం చేస్తాను; ఆయన నా పాపాన్ని తొలగించుగాక.

Speakers

• Unspecified devotee/narrator voice offering a Kṛṣṇa-inflected Viṣṇu-stuti (within the chapter’s tīrtha-mahātmya frame).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Kṛṣṇa/Keśava)

Key Themes

• Stuti (devotional praise)
• Pāpa-nāśana
• Cosmic iconography (sun/moon eyes)
• Demon-slaying as protection
• Bhakti and surrender

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does “moon-and-sun-eyed” convey in Purāṇic theology?

It is a cosmicizing epithet: the deity’s perception and presence pervade time and space, with the luminaries as symbolic “eyes.” It aligns the personal Kṛṣṇa-name (Keśava) with a universal, all-seeing sovereignty.

Why mention Kaṃsa and Keśin in a verse focused on sin-removal?

Demon-slaying functions as a template for inner purification: as the lord destroys external adharma, he is invoked to destroy internal pāpa and obstacles. The devotee’s request is framed as spiritual protection and cleansing.

Is Keśava strictly ‘slayer of Keśin,’ and does that matter here?

Traditional etymologies vary, but Purāṇic usage often resonates with narrative memory—especially Keśin’s defeat—making “Keśava” a compact reminder of divine victory. In stuti, such names operate less as philology and more as devotional triggers for remembrance (smaraṇa).