Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 69

The Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu (Vishnu-Pañjara) and the Redemption of a Rakshasa

Devanagari script

दामोदरमुदाराक्षं पुण्डरीकाक्षमच्युतम् प्रणतो ऽस्मि स्तुतं स्तुत्यैः स मे पापं व्यपोहतु

Transliteration

dāmodaramudārākṣaṃ puṇḍarīkākṣamacyutam praṇato 'smi stutaṃ stutyaiḥ sa me pāpaṃ vyapohatu

Translation

میں دامودر، فراخ نگاہ، پُنڈریکاکش، اَچْیُت—جو ستوتیوں سے ستوت ہے—کو سجدۂ تعظیم کرتا ہوں؛ وہ میرا گناہ دور کرے۔

Speakers

• Unspecified devotee/narrator voice offering a Viṣṇu-stuti (within the chapter’s tīrtha-mahātmya frame).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Nārāyaṇa/Kṛṣṇa)

Key Themes

• Stuti (devotional praise)
• Pāpa-nāśana (removal of sin)
• Nāma-smaraṇa (invocation through divine epithets)
• Bhakti as purification

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are multiple epithets (Dāmodara, Puṇḍarīkākṣa, Acyuta) used for one deity?

Purāṇic stutis commonly “stack” names to invoke different theological facets: Dāmodara emphasizes intimate līlā and accessibility; Puṇḍarīkākṣa signals auspicious iconography and sovereignty; Acyuta asserts metaphysical infallibility. Together they frame Viṣṇu as both transcendent and personally approachable.

What does “may he remove my sin” imply in a tīrtha-mahātmya setting?

In tīrtha literature, purification is achieved through a triad—place (kṣetra/tīrtha), act (snāna/dāna), and devotion (stuti/namaskāra). This verse foregrounds devotion: sincere praise and surrender are presented as direct means of pāpa-kṣaya.

Does Dāmodara necessarily mean Kṛṣṇa rather than Viṣṇu?

Dāmodara is most vivid in Kṛṣṇa’s childhood narrative, but Purāṇas freely apply Kṛṣṇa-epithets to Viṣṇu as the same supreme reality. The verse thus functions as a Viṣṇu-stuti with a Kṛṣṇa-colored devotional intimacy.