Vamana Purana — Ritadhvaja Aids Galava, Shloka 47
Ritadhvaja’s Aid to Galava and Andhaka’s Infatuation with Gauri
ततो दुरात्मा स तदान्धको मुने पातालमभ्येत्य दिवा न भुङ्क्ते रात्रौ न शेते मदनेषुताडितो गौरीं स्मरन्कामबलाभिपन्नः
tato durātmā sa tadāndhako mune pātālamabhyetya divā na bhuṅkte rātrau na śete madaneṣutāḍito gaurīṃ smarankāmabalābhipannaḥ
ثم إن أندهاكا ذا النفس الخبيثة، أيها الحكيم، هبط إلى باتالا. وقد أصابته سهام كاما، فلا يأكل نهارًا ولا ينام ليلًا، يذكر غوري وقد غلبته قوة الشهوة.
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FAQs
Pātāla functions both as a literal netherworld locale and as a narrative marker of asuric domain. Andhaka’s descent underscores his separation from dharmic order and foreshadows the escalation of his adharma-driven pursuit of Gaurī, which culminates in conflict with Śiva.
Madana’s arrows are a conventional metaphor for the irresistible onset of erotic fixation. Here it indicates that Andhaka’s agency is compromised by kāma, producing classic symptoms—loss of appetite and sleep—used in Sanskrit literature to depict overpowering passion.
Yes. Gaurī is not merely an object of desire; she is the divine śakti of Śiva. Andhaka’s obsessive remembrance is therefore a transgressive misrecognition—treating the divine as an attainable worldly object—highlighting the Purāṇic critique of desire ungoverned by dharma.