Vamana Purana — Sukeshi's Inquiry into Dharma, Shloka 53
Sukeshi’s Inquiry into Dharma: The Seven Dvipas and the Twenty-One Hells
समाजघानाथ हुताशनं हि वरयुधेनाथ वराङ्गमध्ये समाहतो ऽग्निः परिमुच्य शम्बरं तथान्धकं स त्वरितो ऽभ्यधावत् // वम्प्_10.52 तमापतन्तं परिघेण भूयः समाहनन्मूर्ध्नि तदान्धको ऽपि स ताडितो ऽग्निर्दितिजेश्वरेण भयात् प्रदुद्राव रणाजिराद्वि
samājaghānātha hutāśanaṃ hi varayudhenātha varāṅgamadhye samāhato 'gniḥ parimucya śambaraṃ tathāndhakaṃ sa tvarito 'bhyadhāvat // VamP_10.52 tamāpatantaṃ parigheṇa bhūyaḥ samāhananmūrdhni tadāndhako 'pi sa tāḍito 'gnirditijeśvareṇa bhayāt pradudrāva raṇājirādvi
Then he struck the Fire-god (Hutāśana) with an excellent weapon, in the midst of the battle. Struck, Agni, releasing (letting go of) Śambara, swiftly rushed toward Andhaka. As he came charging, Andhaka again smote him on the head with an iron club. Struck by the lord of the Dānavas, Agni fled in fear from the battlefield.
{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Even cosmic powers can be portrayed as strategically withdrawing when overmatched; Purāṇic ethics emphasizes that victory is not merely strength but alignment with dharma and the larger divine order that ultimately reasserts itself.
Vamśānucarita: episodic history of gods and anti-gods (Deva–Asura warfare), illustrating the recurring contest between order and disorder.
Fire (Agni) represents purification and sacrificial order; its temporary defeat by Andhaka symbolizes the suppression of sattvic order by violent tamas, setting the stage for restoration through higher divine intervention.