Vamana Purana — Indra's Penance & Aditi's Vow, Shloka 46

Indra’s Penance at the Great River and Aditi’s Solar Vow for Vishnu’s Descent

Devanagari script

विष्णुरुवाच सत्यमेतन्महाभागे दुर्धरो ऽस्मि सुरासुरैः तथापि संभविष्यामि अहं देव्युदरे तव

Transliteration

viṣṇuruvāca satyametanmahābhāge durdharo 'smi surāsuraiḥ tathāpi saṃbhaviṣyāmi ahaṃ devyudare tava

Translation

{"bhagavata_parallel": "Bhāgavata Purāṇa 8.18 (Viṣṇu assumes Vāmana form; plan to curb Bali)", "vishnu_purana_parallel": "Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.17 (Vāmana avatāra to humble Bali)", "ramayana_connection": null, "mahabharata_echo": "Nārāyaṇīya (Śānti Parva) avatāra doctrine—Viṣṇu descends to restore dharma (general echo)", "other_puranas": ["Agni Purāṇa (Vāmana/Trivikrama summary)", "Padma Purāṇa (Vāmana līlā variants)"], "vedic_reference": "Ṛgveda 1.154 (Viṣṇu’s strides—background to Vāmana/Trivikrama theology)"}

Speakers

• Vishnu speaking to Aditi

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Aditi

Key Themes

• Avatāra consent and divine compassion
• Transcendence vs. immanence (the unbearable becomes bearable)
• Assurance to the devotee
• Cosmic restoration through incarnation

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘durdharaḥ’ imply about Vishnu’s nature?

It signals Vishnu’s immeasurable, cosmic magnitude—so vast that even divine beings cannot ‘bear’ him in an ordinary sense. The avatāra is thus a voluntary self-limitation (saṅkoca) for the sake of dharma.

Why mention ‘gods and Asuras’ together?

The phrase universalizes Vishnu’s transcendence: neither side of the cosmic polarity can contain him. It also foreshadows that the avatāra will address both parties—granting Bali a boon/recognition while restoring Indra’s order.

Does ‘saṃbhaviṣyāmi’ mean creation or incarnation?

In this narrative setting it denotes incarnation—Vishnu’s manifest arising within Aditi’s womb—rather than ontological creation, aligning with the Vāmana birth motif.