Vamana Purana — Gift of Sudarshana, Shloka 44

The Gift of Sudarshana: Shiva’s Boon to Vishnu and the Sanctification of Virupaksha

Devanagari script

तसमिन् हते देवरिपौ मुरारिरीशं समाराध्य विरूपनेत्रम् लब्ध्वा च चक्रं प्रवरं महायुधं जगाम देवो निलयं पयोनिधिम् // वम्प्_56.43 सो ऽयं पुत्र निरूपाक्षो देवदेवो महेश्वरः तमाराधय चेत् साधो क्षीरेणोच्छसि भोजनम्

Transliteration

tasamin hate devaripau murārirīśaṃ samārādhya virūpanetram labdhvā ca cakraṃ pravaraṃ mahāyudhaṃ jagāma devo nilayaṃ payonidhim // VamP_56.43 so 'yaṃ putra nirūpākṣo devadevo maheśvaraḥ tamārādhaya cet sādho kṣīreṇocchasi bhojanam

Translation

{"bhagavata_parallel": "Bhāgavata Purāṇa 8.2–8.4 (Gajendra’s distress, lotus-offering, stuti, and Hari’s rescue)", "vishnu_purana_parallel": "Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.9 (Gajendra-mokṣa narrative parallels in some recensions)", "ramayana_connection": null, "mahabharata_echo": "Mahābhārata 3.186–187 (tīrtha-māhātmya ethos: tīrthas as sites of deliverance; also nāma-stuti motifs)", "other_puranas": ["Padma Purāṇa (Gajendra-mokṣa retellings)", "Agni Purāṇa (stotra/nāma-mahātmyas)", "Skanda Purāṇa (tīrtha-māhātmya framing)"], "vedic_reference": "Ṛgveda 1.154 (Viṣṇu’s all-pervading strides as background to vibhu-epithets, though here in Gajendra frame)"}

Speakers

• Narrative voice; then an elder/authority figure addressing ‘putra’ (son)—contextually a didactic instruction within the Bali-related episode.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

Key Themes

• Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava unity (Viṣṇu worships Śiva)
• Divine weapon theology (Sudarśana as obtained through tapas/ārādhana)
• Boons through Śiva-worship
• Didactic counsel to a ‘son’ (upadeśa)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the text depict Viṣṇu (Murāri) worshipping Śiva (Virūpanetra)?

This is a standard Purāṇic strategy to assert functional unity and mutual honor between sectarian theologies: Viṣṇu receives a supreme weapon through Śiva’s grace, while Śiva is praised as ‘devadeva’. The episode teaches that divine powers operate through reciprocal reverence rather than rivalry.

What is the ‘cakra’ here, and why is it significant?

The ‘cakra’ is the Sudarśana, Viṣṇu’s paradigmatic cosmic weapon. Its acquisition through ārādhana frames it not merely as an inherited attribute but as a boon grounded in dharma, tapas, and divine sanction.

What geographical marker is present, and what does it imply?

The only explicit geography is ‘payo-nidhi’ (the Ocean), indicating Viṣṇu’s return to his watery abode (often associated with Kṣīroda/Śvetadvīpa traditions). It situates the narrative in a cosmographic register typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa.