Vamana Purana — Shukra's Samjivani, Shloka 102

Shukra’s Saṃjīvanī, Shiva’s Containment of the Asuras, and Indra’s Recovery of Power

Devanagari script

गरुडः पक्षपाताभ्यां तुण्डेनाप्युरसाहनत् स चादिपुरुषो धाता पुराणाः प्रपितामहः

Transliteration

garuḍaḥ pakṣapātābhyāṃ tuṇḍenāpyurasāhanat sa cādipuruṣo dhātā purāṇāḥ prapitāmahaḥ

Translation

Garuḍa struck (the foes) with the blows of his wings, and also with his beak and his breast. And that Primeval Person— the Sustainer, the Ancient One, the Great-Grandfather— (was present/active).

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic voice) to the listening sage(s)
• continuing the battle description.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Ādipuruṣa)
• Garuḍa

Key Themes

• Divine retinue and vāhana-power
• Cosmic epithets of Viṣṇu
• Devāsura conflict imagery

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is Garuḍa merely a vehicle here, or an independent combatant?

He is portrayed as an independent combatant: wing-beats, beak, and breast are described as striking implements, a common Purāṇic motif where vāhanas participate directly in dharma-protecting battles.

How should we understand the epithets ‘Ādipuruṣa, Dhātā, Purāṇa, Prapitāmaha’?

They stack cosmic functions and antiquity: Ādipuruṣa (primordial being), Dhātā (sustainer/ordainer), Purāṇa (ancient), Prapitāmaha (ancestral source). The intent is theological—asserting Viṣṇu’s supremacy and timelessness within the narrative action.

Does ‘prapitāmaha’ here imply Brahmā instead of Viṣṇu?

In Purāṇic diction, ‘prapitāmaha’ can be used for Brahmā, but it can also function as a superlative ancestral epithet for the supreme Lord. The immediate collocation with ‘Ādipuruṣa’ supports reading it as a Viṣṇu-epithet in this verse.