Vamana Purana — Rudra's Wrath & Kalarupa, Shloka 61

Rudra’s Wrath at Daksha’s Sacrifice and the Iconography of Kālarūpa through the Zodiac

Devanagari script

एतन् मया ते कथितं सुरर्षे यथा त्रिनेत्रः प्रमाथ यज्ञम् पुण्यं पुराणं परमं पवित्रमाख्यातवान्पापहरं शिवं च

Transliteration

etan mayā te kathitaṃ surarṣe yathā trinetraḥ pramātha yajñam puṇyaṃ purāṇaṃ paramaṃ pavitramākhyātavānpāpaharaṃ śivaṃ ca

Translation

يا خيرَ الحكماءِ من بين رِشيّاتِ الآلهة، لقد قصصتُ عليك هذا: كيف عَطَّلَ ذو العيونِ الثلاث (شِيفا Śiva) القُربانَ (yajña)، وكيف أعلن أيضًا البورانا ذاتَ الفضل، الأسمى تطهيرًا، الماحيَةَ للذنوب.

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (instrumental), एकवचन

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी/षष्ठी (dative/genitive), एकवचन; here dative sense

• kathitam: has been narrated
• kathitam: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (धातु) → kathita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (passive/resultative: 'has been told')

• sura-ṛṣe: O divine sage
• sura-ṛṣe: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (suraḥ ṛṣiḥ)

• yathā: as, how
• yathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकार/यथा-तथा सम्बन्धसूचक (as/how)

• tri-netraḥ: the three-eyed one (Śiva)
• tri-netraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + netra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (yasya trīṇi netrāṇi saḥ)

• pramātha: O Pramātha / attendant (of Śiva)
• pramātha: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pramātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा एकवचन; here likely सम्बोधन (addressing Pramātha/attendant) or apposition; form identical in nom/voc

• yajñam: sacrifice
• yajñam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन

• puṇyam: holy
• puṇyam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (yajñam)

• purāṇam: ancient
• purāṇam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (yajñam)

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• pavitram: pure, sacred
• pavitram: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pavitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• ākhyātavān: proclaimed, declared
• ākhyātavān: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-khyā (धातु) → ākhyātavat (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्ययान्त (क्तवत्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; परोक्ष-भूतार्थे/परिणामार्थे (having proclaimed)

• pāpa-haram: sin-removing
• pāpa-haram: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (pāpam harati iti) विशेषणम्

• śivam: Śiva / auspicious (one)
• śivam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (yajñam/vidyām/ākhyānam) इत्यस्य विशेष्य-रूपेण/अपि नामरूपेण

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher voice addressing a ‘surarṣi’ (exact names not present in the verse excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Shaivism
• Purāṇa as purifier
• Yajña critique and transcendence
• Sectarian harmony (Purāṇic frame)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Ritual (yajña) is not self-sufficient without right orientation and humility; divine truth can overturn merely formal religiosity. The Purāṇa is praised as a means of purification—suggesting śravaṇa (hearing) and kathā (sacred narration) as legitimate spiritual disciplines.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is best classified as dharma-upadeśa and māhātmya (praise of sacred teaching) rather than a core pañcalakṣaṇa segment. It supports Purāṇic function: legitimizing the text’s salvific efficacy (pāpa-haraṇa).

What is the symbolic significance?

Śiva as ‘Trinetra’ symbolizes transcendent seeing (past-present-future; or the three guṇas). The ‘disruption of yajña’ motif often symbolizes the limitation of ego-centered sacrifice and the necessity of divine grace and inner transformation.