Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 16
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
इत्थं संचितयन्नेव अवष्टभाप्सरोगणम् तस्थौ मुनिरिव ध्यानमास्थितः स तु माधवः
itthaṃ saṃcitayanneva avaṣṭabhāpsarogaṇam tasthau muniriva dhyānamāsthitaḥ sa tu mādhavaḥ
如是思惟之际，他又约束住众阿普萨罗，摩陀婆安然屹立——宛如住于禅定的牟尼。
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The verse foregrounds mastery over the senses: even amid provocations (apsarās), the divine exemplar remains steady like a muni in dhyāna. The ethical lesson is that true power includes inner restraint, not merely outward dominion.
This is best classified under Vamśānucarita/Carita-style narrative material (accounts of divine deeds) rather than cosmogenesis (sarga/pratisarga). It functions as an episode illustrating dharma and divine comportment.
Apsarās often symbolize sensory allure and distraction; Mādhava standing 'like a sage' signals the integration of bhoga-śakti and yoga-śakti—sovereignty that is simultaneously contemplative and unshaken.