Vamana Purana — Shukra's Samjivani, Shloka 47

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

Devanagari script

ततो ऽसुरगणानां च देवतानां च युध्यताम् द्वन्द्वयुद्धूं समभवद् घोररूपं तपोधन

Transliteration

tato 'suragaṇānāṃ ca devatānāṃ ca yudhyatām dvandvayuddhūṃ samabhavad ghorarūpaṃ tapodhana

Translation

Darauf, als die Scharen der Asuras und der Devas kämpften, erhob sich ein schauriges Bild paarweiser Zweikämpfe, Mann gegen Mann—o Schatz der Askese.

Speakers

• Narrator (traditional frame: a sage-narrator addressing an inquiring sage; vocative ‘tapodhana’ indicates the listener is an ascetic)

Primary Deities

• Shiva (implied in Andhaka cycle)
• Devas (collective)

Key Themes

• Deva–Asura conflict
• Dvandva-yuddha (heroic single combat)
• Epic battle aesthetics (ghora-rūpa)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the narrative function of ‘dvandva-yuddha’ here?

It signals a shift from massed battle to formalized hero-versus-hero engagements, a common Purāṇic/Itihāsa technique to highlight named champions and set up the ensuing list of combat pairings.

Who is addressed as ‘tapodhana’ and why?

‘Tapo-dhana’ is a respectful vocative for an ascetic interlocutor (a sage or seer). It marks the didactic frame: the battle account is being narrated to a spiritually accomplished listener.

Does this verse contain any tirtha or geographic data typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

No. Despite the Vāmana Purāṇa’s strong geographic/tīrtha orientation elsewhere, this line is purely martial narration and contains no place-names.