Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 16
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
इत्थं संचितयन्नेव अवष्टभाप्सरोगणम् तस्थौ मुनिरिव ध्यानमास्थितः स तु माधवः
itthaṃ saṃcitayanneva avaṣṭabhāpsarogaṇam tasthau muniriva dhyānamāsthitaḥ sa tu mādhavaḥ
یوں غور کرتے ہوئے، اپسراؤں کے گروہ کو قابو میں رکھ کر، وہ مادھو مراقبہ میں مستغرق مُنی کی طرح ثابت قدم کھڑا رہا۔
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FAQs
The verse foregrounds mastery over the senses: even amid provocations (apsarās), the divine exemplar remains steady like a muni in dhyāna. The ethical lesson is that true power includes inner restraint, not merely outward dominion.
This is best classified under Vamśānucarita/Carita-style narrative material (accounts of divine deeds) rather than cosmogenesis (sarga/pratisarga). It functions as an episode illustrating dharma and divine comportment.
Apsarās often symbolize sensory allure and distraction; Mādhava standing 'like a sage' signals the integration of bhoga-śakti and yoga-śakti—sovereignty that is simultaneously contemplative and unshaken.