Shloka 28
The Aśūnyaśayanā Vow (Unempty Bed) and the Aṅgāraka Caturthī Observance
अनेकवक्त्रनयनोज्वलज्ज्वलन भीषणः । वीरभद्र इति ख्यातः करपादायुतैर्युतः
anekavaktranayanojvalajjvalana bhīṣaṇaḥ | vīrabhadra iti khyātaḥ karapādāyutairyutaḥ
Furchterregend, in lodernden, strahlenden Flammen, mit vielen Gesichtern und Augen—berühmt war er als Vīrabhadra, versehen mit tausenden Händen und Füßen.
Unspecified narrator (contextual description within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa narrative)
Concept: Divine wrath assumes overwhelming forms to restore balance; names (like ‘Vīrabhadra’) encode function—heroic terror deployed for cosmic correction.
Application: Recognize that unchecked pride can summon ‘many-faced’ consequences; cultivate accountability and humility before power multiplies beyond control.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Vīrabhadra stands like a living conflagration—many faces and eyes blazing, flames licking around his crown and shoulders. Thousands of hands and feet radiate outward in a storm of limbs, as the sacrificial pavilion shrinks beneath his colossal presence, banners whipping in heat-wind.","primary_figures":["Vīrabhadra","terrified priests (optional)","Dakṣa (optional)"],"setting":"A shattered yajña-śālā with overturned vessels, scattered kusa grass, and roaring altar fires; the sky darkened by ash and sparks.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["incandescent gold","blood red","obsidian black","ember orange","smoke violet"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Vīrabhadra as a towering multi-faced, multi-eyed figure with embossed gold leaf flames and halo, rich vermilion and emerald accents on ornaments, gem-studded armlets repeated across many arms, stylized yajña pavilion below with gold-highlighted ritual vessels, ornate arch frame with fierce kīrtimukha motifs.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: dynamic yet finely controlled depiction of Vīrabhadra with multiple faces arranged in a rhythmic arc, delicate flame patterns, cool smoky background with warm ember highlights, expressive frightened onlookers, architectural detail of the yajña hall rendered with precise linework.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black contours, saturated reds and yellows, Vīrabhadra’s many eyes emphasized, rhythmic repetition of arms and feet like a mandala of power, stylized flames and ash clouds, temple-wall grandeur and iconographic clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a dramatic narrative textile panel—central fierce figure surrounded by concentric flame motifs and lotus borders, deep indigo ground with gold and red highlights, intricate floral framing; include symbolic patterns (trident motifs, swirling smoke) integrated into the decorative border."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["drum thunder (dundubhi)","roaring fire","metallic clash","wind gusts","conch shell"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अनेकवक्त्रनयनोज्वलज्ज्वलन = अनेक-वक्त्र-नयन-उज्ज्वलत्-ज्वलन (sandhi: नयन + उज्ज्वलत् → नयनोज्ज्वलत्; उज्ज्वलत् + ज्वलन → उज्ज्वलज्ज्वलन); करपादायुतैर्युतः = कर-पाद-आयुतैः युतः.
FAQs
Vīrabhadra is a fierce, formidable figure associated with Śiva, commonly portrayed as an overwhelming, many-limbed manifestation used to express divine wrath and cosmic power.
These are epic-Purāṇic markers of a cosmic, superhuman form—signaling omnidirectional power, heightened perception, and irresistible might rather than a literal anatomical description.
It conveys a Śaiva-tinged awe (bhaya-adbhuta rasa): the divine as terrifyingly majestic, capable of manifesting overwhelming force within the broader encyclopedic theology of the Padma Purana.