Padma Purana — Srishti Khanda, Shloka 158

The Tārakāmaya War: Divine Mustering, Māyā Countermeasures, Aurva Fire, and Viṣṇu’s Slaying of Kālanemi

Devanagari script

मायावधे प्रवृत्ते तु स्तूयमाने गदाधरे । निष्प्रयत्नेषु दैत्येषु त्रैलोक्ये मुक्तबंधने

Transliteration

māyāvadhe pravṛtte tu stūyamāne gadādhare | niṣprayatneṣu daityeṣu trailokye muktabaṃdhane

Translation

Nang isinasagawa ang pagpatay kay Māyā at pinupuri si Gadādhara, habang ang mga daitya’y walang magawa at nanghihina, napalaya ang pagkakagapos ng tatlong daigdig.

Word by Word

• māyā-vadhe: in the killing of Māyā
• māyā-vadhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māyā (प्रातिपदिक) + vadha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी): 'in the slaying of Māyā'; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• pravṛtte: having commenced/when begun
• pravṛtte: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√vṛt (धातु) → pravṛtta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; agrees with 'māyā-vadhe' (locative absolute sense)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha/Avyaya (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), contrast/emphasis

• stūyamāne: while being praised
• stūyamāne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √stu (धातु) → stūyamāna (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकर्मणि कृदन्त (present passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; agrees with 'gadādhare' (locative absolute)

• gadā-dhare: in/when (the) mace-bearer (Viṣṇu)
• gadā-dhare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gadā (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपपद): 'mace-bearer'; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (addressing/locative absolute with stūyamāne)

• niṣ-prayatneṣu: among the helpless (ones)
• niṣ-prayatneṣu: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niṣ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (नञ्/निषेध): 'without effort, helpless'; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; qualifies 'daityeṣu'

• daityeṣu: among the demons
• daityeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन

• trailokye: in the three worlds
• trailokye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास: 'three worlds' → trailokya; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• mukta-bandhane: with bondage released
• mukta-bandhane: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + bandhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: 'with bonds released / freed from bondage'; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; agrees with 'trailokye'

Speaker

Narratorial voice (contextual narrator within the Adhyaya; exact dialogue speaker not explicit from the single verse)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: celestial_realm

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: मायावधे → माया-वधे; निष्प्रयत्नेषु → निः-प्रयत्नेषु; त्रैलोक्ये is dvigu (tri+loka); मुक्तबंधने → मुक्त-बन्धने.

Characters & Entities

• Gadādhara (Viṣṇu)
• Māyā
• Daityas (demons)
• Trailokya (three worlds)

FAQs

Who is Gadādhara in this verse?

Gadādhara is an epithet of Viṣṇu, “the bearer of the mace (gadā),” emphasizing divine protection and sovereign power in restoring cosmic order.

What does “the bondage of the three worlds was released” imply?

It suggests that the oppressive constraint or disorder affecting the entire cosmos (heaven, earth, and the nether realms) was removed through the Lord’s victory, restoring freedom and dharma.

What is the ethical or devotional lesson conveyed here?

The verse frames divine intervention as the removal of universal affliction: when the Lord is upheld and praised, forces of adharma become powerless, and collective well-being (cosmic liberation from ‘bondage’) is re-established.