Vamana Purana — Sarasvata Hymn to Vishnu, Shloka 101

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

Devanagari script

भविष्यन्नरकघ्नाय नमः कंसविघातिने अरिष्टकेशिचणूरदेवारिक्षयिणे नमः

Transliteration

bhaviṣyannarakaghnāya namaḥ kaṃsavighātine ariṣṭakeśicaṇūradevārikṣayiṇe namaḥ

Translation

{"location": "Kurukṣetra", "location_type": "tirtha", "region": "Kuru region (north India)", "sacred_significance": "Mahā-tīrtha and dharma-kṣetra associated with Vedic sacrifices and later epic memory; a paradigmatic field for yajña and merit.", "cosmic_realm": "bhuloka"}

Speakers

• Narratorial/teaching voice continuing the stuti sequence (speaker not specified in the excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Krishna
• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Avatāra-līlā remembrance
• Protection of devas (deva-rakṣā)
• Demon-slaying as restoration of dharma
• Stuti through heroic epithets

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the verse say ‘bhaviṣyan-narakaghnāya’—“future slayer of Naraka”?

It reflects a compositional stance where the stuti enumerates deeds across time: some already accomplished (Kaṃsa, Keśin, Cāṇūra), and some foretold/inevitable within the avatāra’s career (Narakāsura). This is a common Purāṇic way to present the Lord as transcending linear time.

What is achieved by listing multiple demon names in a tīrtha-oriented chapter?

Such lists function as smṛti-aṅga (aids to remembrance): recalling the Lord’s dharma-restoring acts is itself meritorious and is often paired with tīrtha bathing/recitation to intensify purification and protection.

Does ‘devāri-kṣayiṇ’ imply a general cosmic role beyond specific battles?

Yes. It universalizes the avatāra’s function: not only particular slayings, but the ongoing principle that the Lord removes forces hostile to divine order (ṛta/dharma), thereby safeguarding the world.