Vamana Purana — Rudra's Wrath & Kalarupa, Shloka 11

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

Devanagari script

तमापतन्तं भगवान् संनिरीक्ष्य त्रिलोचनः बाहुभ्यां प्रतिजग्राह करेणैकेन शङ्करः

Transliteration

tamāpatantaṃ bhagavān saṃnirīkṣya trilocanaḥ bāhubhyāṃ pratijagrāha kareṇaikena śaṅkaraḥ

Translation

Als er ihn heranstürzen sah, blickte der erhabene Dreiäugige Herr ihn an und packte ihn mit beiden Armen; Śaṅkara hielt ihn mit nur einer Hand fest.

Word by Word

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म) (object of ‘pratijagrāha’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), द्वितीया (Acc/2nd), एकवचन (sg); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• āpatantam: rushing/falling upon (him)
• āpatantam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of ‘tam’
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + pat (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग (m.), द्वितीया (Acc/2nd), एकवचन (sg)

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन (sg)

• saṃnirīkṣya: having looked at, observing
• saṃnirīkṣya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + ni + īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having observed/seen’

• trilocanaḥ: the three-eyed one
• trilocanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of ‘bhagavān’
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन (sg); बहुव्रीहिः—‘त्रीणि लोचनानि यस्य’ (epithet)

• bāhubhyām: with (his) two arms
• bāhubhyām: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), द्विवचन (du)

• pratijagrāha: seized, caught, held back
• pratijagrāha: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati + grah (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sg), परस्मैपद

• kareṇa: with (his) hand
• kareṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (sg)

• ekena: with one (single)
• ekena: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of ‘kareṇa’
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (sg)

• śaṅkaraḥ: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṅkaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (apposition to ‘bhagavān’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन (sg)

Speakers

• Narrative voice within the Purāṇic frame (commonly Pulastya → Nārada
• not explicit in input)

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Trilocana/Śaṅkara)
• Pūṣan

Key Themes

• Shaivism
• Divine sovereignty
• Effortless power (aiśvarya)
• Daitya-Deva Conflict

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

True mastery is shown as restraint: Śiva does not mirror anger with anger; he simply contains the aggressor, modeling control of force under higher intelligence.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Narrative deed-account (carita) illustrating divine intervention in cosmic governance; it supports dharma-restoration themes rather than genealogical cataloging.

What is the symbolic significance?

The ‘single hand’ motif signals the asymmetry between finite power and the supreme: the divine can neutralize tumult with minimal exertion, implying that cosmic order is upheld effortlessly at the highest level.