Vamana Purana — Nara-Narayana's Tapas, Shloka 68

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

Devanagari script

ततश्चचाल पृथिवी गिरयः सरितो नगाः पातालभुवनाः सर्वे जङ्गमाजङ्गमैर्वृताः

Transliteration

tataścacāla pṛthivī girayaḥ sarito nagāḥ pātālabhuvanāḥ sarve jaṅgamājaṅgamairvṛtāḥ

Translation

پھر زمین لرز اٹھی؛ پہاڑ، ندیاں اور درخت بھی ہلنے لگے؛ اور جاندار و بےجان سے بھرے پاتال کے سب جہان اضطراب میں پڑ گئے۔

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, conjunction

• cacāla: shook/moved
• cacāla: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cal (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada

• pṛthivī: the earth
• pṛthivī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthvī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative singular

• girayaḥ: mountains
• girayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative plural

• saritaḥ: rivers
• saritaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative plural

• nagāḥ: mountains/trees (here: mountains)
• nagāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative plural

• pātāla-bhuvanāḥ: the nether-world regions
• pātāla-bhuvanāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक) + bhuvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘pātālasya bhuvanāḥ’; Neuter, Nominative plural

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative plural; collective qualifier (‘all’)

• jaṅgama-ajaṅgamaiḥ: by moving and unmoving beings
• jaṅgama-ajaṅgamaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaṅgama (प्रातिपदिक) + ajaṅgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva (द्वन्द्व) ‘moving and unmoving’; Neuter, Instrumental (तृतीया) plural

• vṛtāḥ: surrounded/covered
• vṛtāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛ (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine nominative plural; agreeing with (sarve ...), ‘surrounded/covered’

Speakers

• Primary narrative frame typically Pulastya → Nārada (speaker not explicit in the provided verse)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (implied by prior liṅga reference)

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Pralaya-like tremor imagery
• Interconnectedness of realms
• Shaivism (contextual)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The shaking of all categories—moving and unmoving—teaches that worldly stability is contingent. Dharma is to be grounded in the eternal (brahman/Īśvara), not in the presumed permanence of material arrangements.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is cosmographic description supporting Sarga/Pratisarga themes (world-structure and its disturbance). It uses totalizing categories (jaṅgama/ajaṅgama) typical of Purāṇic cosmology.

What is the symbolic significance?

By naming both jaṅgama and ajaṅgama, the text signals completeness: the divine event affects all layers of being. It also echoes the Purāṇic idea that when the cosmic ‘pillar’ (liṅga/axis) is active, all realms respond.