Vamana Purana — Nara-Narayana's Tapas, Shloka 2

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

Devanagari script

हरिं कुष्णं च देवर्षे नारायणनरौ तथा योगाभ्यासरतौ नित्यं हरिकृष्णौ बभूवतुः

Transliteration

hariṃ kuṣṇaṃ ca devarṣe nārāyaṇanarau tathā yogābhyāsaratau nityaṃ harikṛṣṇau babhūvatuḥ

Translation

اے دیورشی، ہری اور کرشن، اور اسی طرح نر و نارائن—جو ہمیشہ یوگ کے अभ्यास میں مشغول رہتے ہیں—(ظہور کے طور پر) ہری-کرشن ہی بن گئے۔

Word by Word

• harim: Hari
• harim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन

• kṛṣṇam: Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• deva-ṛṣe: O divine sage
• deva-ṛṣe: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (devaḥ ṛṣiḥ)

• nārāyaṇa-narau: Nārāyaṇa and Nara
• nārāyaṇa-narau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (nominative), द्विवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (Nārāyaṇa and Nara)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/तुल्यतासूचक (likewise/also)

• yoga-abhyāsa-ratau: devoted to the practice of yoga
• yoga-abhyāsa-ratau: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक) + abhyāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + rata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; तत्पुरुष (yogābhyāse ratau = devoted to practice of yoga)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक) / nityam (अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time: always)

• hari-kṛṣṇau: Hari and Kṛṣṇa
• hari-kṛṣṇau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (Hari and Kṛṣṇa)

• babhūvatuḥ: became / came to be
• babhūvatuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन; परस्मैपद

Speakers

• Not specified in the provided excerpt (often framed as Pulastya ↔ Nārada in the Vāmana Purāṇa)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Nara-Narayana
• Krishna

Key Themes

• Vaishnavism
• Yoga
• Avatar doctrine
• Tapas (asceticism)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse emphasizes that divinity is also expressed through sustained yogic discipline: the highest forms (Hari/Kṛṣṇa; Nara/Nārāyaṇa) are characterized by unwavering yoga-practice, presenting tapas and inner mastery as a hallmark of sacred power.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Primarily within Vamśānucarita/Carita-type narration (accounts of divine manifestations and exemplary figures), rather than cosmogenesis; it situates a divine identity/manifestation within the narrative flow.

What is the symbolic significance?

By pairing Hari–Kṛṣṇa with Nara–Nārāyaṇa, the text symbolically links royal/active divinity (Kṛṣṇa/Hari) with ascetic divinity (Nara-Nārāyaṇa), presenting action and contemplation as complementary expressions of the same supreme principle.