Vamana Purana — Sati's Death & Virabhadra, Shloka 23

Sati’s Death and the Assault on Daksha’s Sacrifice: Virabhadra versus the Devas

Devanagari script

ततस्तु धनुरादाय शरांश्चाशीविषोपमान् द्वारपालस्तदा धर्मो वीरभद्रमुपाद्रवत्

Transliteration

tatastu dhanurādāya śarāṃścāśīviṣopamān dvārapālastadā dharmo vīrabhadramupādravat

Translation

ثم إنَّ دارما، حارسَ الباب، تناول قوسه وسهامه التي تشبه الأفاعي السامة، واندفع مسرعًا نحو فيرابهادرا.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): 'thereupon/then'

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle/conjunction): emphatic/contrastive 'but/indeed'

• dhanuḥ: bow
• dhanuḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• ādāya: having taken
• ādāya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√dā (धाातु) (क्त्वान्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): 'having taken'

• śarān: arrows
• śarān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): 'and'

• āśīviṣa-upamān: like venomous serpents
• āśīviṣa-upamān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āśīviṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + upama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपमान-तत्पुरुष: 'like a venomous serpent'); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying śarān)

• dvārapālaḥ: the door-keeper
• dvārapālaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvāra (प्रातिपदिक) + pāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'door-guard'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (temporal adverb): 'then/at that time'

• dharmaḥ: Dharma
• dharmaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; apposition to dvārapālaḥ

• vīrabhadram: Vīrabhadra
• vīrabhadram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīrabhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• upādravat: attacked/rushed at
• upādravat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√drav (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speakers

• Likely Pulastya narrating to Nārada; verse is action narration

Primary Deities

• Śiva (via Vīrabhadra)
• Dharma (personified principle/deity)

Key Themes

• Shaivism
• Dharma
• Daitya-Deva Conflict
• Righteous guardianship
• Martial imagery in Purāṇic narrative

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Dharma is portrayed not as passive law but as active protection—righteous order must sometimes ‘stand at the gate’ and confront disruptive forces directly.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Narrative episode (ākhyāna) illustrating dharma in action; best classed under vamśānucarita-style storytelling (events around divine figures) rather than the five cosmological topics proper.

What is the symbolic significance?

The clash of Dharma with Vīrabhadra dramatizes tension between fierce divine agency and moral order; in a Purāṇic synthesis, such confrontations often resolve into a higher harmony where Śaiva power ultimately serves cosmic balance rather than contradicting it.