Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Victory through Bhakti, Shloka 5
Prahlada’s Defeat in Battle and Victory through Bhakti (Nara-Narayana Episode)
आनम्य चापं वेगेन गार्द्धूपत्राञ्सिलीमुखान् मुमोच साध्याय तदा क्रोधन्धकारिताननः
ānamya cāpaṃ vegena gārddhūpatrāñsilīmukhān mumoca sādhyāya tadā krodhandhakāritānanaḥ
Den Bogen rasch spannte er und ließ sodann scharfe Pfeile los, befiedert wie die Schwingen eines Geiers, gegen die Sādhya; sein Antlitz verdunkelte sich, als wäre es von der Blindheit des Zorns umhüllt.
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FAQs
The verse frames anger (krodha) as a force that ‘darkens’ discernment; even martial prowess is shown as morally compromised when driven by wrath rather than dharma.
This belongs to Vamśānucarita/Carita-type narration (accounts of beings and their deeds), specifically a battle episode within the broader narrative flow, rather than cosmogenesis (sarga) or dissolution (pralaya).
The ‘darkened face’ motif externalizes inner tamas: the warrior’s psychological state becomes visible, signaling that adharma often begins as an inner eclipse before it manifests as violence.