Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 36

Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti

Devanagari script

प्रह्लाद उवाच भगवन् कानि तीर्थानि पृथिव्यां कानि चाम्बरे रसातले च कानि स्युरेतद् वक्तुं ममार्हसि

Transliteration

prahlāda uvāca bhagavan kāni tīrthāni pṛthivyāṃ kāni cāmbare rasātale ca kāni syuretad vaktuṃ mamārhasi

Translation

Prahlāda thưa: “Bạch Đấng Thế Tôn, những tīrtha (thánh địa) nào ở trên đất, những tīrtha nào ở trên trời, và những tīrtha nào có thể ở Rasātala? Xin Ngài hãy nói cho con biết.”

Word by Word

• prahlādaḥ: Prahlāda
• prahlādaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahlāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• bhagavan: O Lord
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• kāni: which (ones)
• kāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; interrogative pronoun used adjectivally

• tīrthāni: holy places
• tīrthāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• pṛthivyām: on earth
• pṛthivyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण/locative), एकवचन

• kāni: which (ones)
• kāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

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

• ambare: in the sky
• ambare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ambara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• rasātale: in Rasātala (netherworld)
• rasātale: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rasātala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

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

• kāni: which (ones)
• kāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• syuḥ: might be/are
• syuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• vaktum: to tell
• vaktum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/infinitive complement)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), ‘to speak/tell’

• mama: to me/of me
• mama: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• arhasi: you are able/ought
• arhasi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speakers

• Prahlāda addressing a revered interlocutor (likely a sage/authority figure in the immediate narrative)

Key Themes

• Tīrtha-mahātmya setup
• Cosmography (vertical worlds)
• Bhakti-inflected inquiry (Prahlāda as seeker)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Prahlāda’s question models the dhārmic posture of inquiry: sacredness is not merely local but pervades multiple planes of existence, and the seeker should learn from a qualified authority (guru/ṛṣi).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This functions as a gateway into tīrtha-mahātmya material (often embedded within carita). It is not itself sarga/pratisarga, but it cues cosmographic and didactic exposition typical of Purāṇas.

What is the symbolic significance?

By asking for tīrthas in earth, sky, and Rasātala, the text suggests that “crossings” (tīrtha = ford) exist for every level of being—outer pilgrimage mirrors inner transition from bondage to liberation.