Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 50
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
अथोवाच दितीशस्तौ का शक्तिर्युवयोरिह मयि तिष्ठति दैत्येन्द्रे धर्मसेतुप्रवर्तके
athovāca ditīśastau kā śaktiryuvayoriha mayi tiṣṭhati daityendre dharmasetupravartake
تب دِیتی کے خاندان کے سردار نے اُن دونوں سے کہا— “جب میں یہاں موجود ہوں—میں دَیتیہ اِندر اور دھرم کے سیتو (پل) کا قائم کرنے والا—تو تم دونوں کی یہاں کیا طاقت ہے؟”
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FAQs
The verse highlights a common purāṇic critique: power can co-opt the language of dharma. The Daitya claims to be a “dharmasetu-pravartaka,” illustrating how authority may self-legitimate even when opposed to divine order.
Vamśānucarita / narrative episode: a dialogic confrontation embedded in legendary accounts, serving to set up the avatāra’s demonstration of supremacy.
“Dharma-setu” symbolizes boundaries that restrain chaos; the Daitya’s appropriation of this title signals inverted order—an asuric tendency to claim guardianship of dharma while challenging its true source.