Padma Purana — Srishti Khanda, Shloka 91
Origin of the Lunar Dynasty: Soma’s Rise, the Tārā Abduction War, Budha–Purūravas Genealogy, and Kārtavīrya Arjuna
जघान शक्रो वज्रेण सर्वान्धर्मबहिष्कृतान् । नहुषस्य प्रवक्ष्यामि पुत्रान्सप्तैव धार्मिकान्
jaghāna śakro vajreṇa sarvāndharmabahiṣkṛtān | nahuṣasya pravakṣyāmi putrānsaptaiva dhārmikān
Indra (Śakra) struck down with his thunderbolt all who had been cast out from dharma. Now I shall recount Nahusha’s seven sons, truly righteous.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic storyteller; specific speaker not identifiable from the single verse alone)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सर्वान्धर्मबहिष्कृतान् = सर्वान् + धर्मबहिष्कृतान्; पुत्रान्सप्तैव = पुत्रान् + सप्त + एव.
FAQs
Śakra is Indra, king of the devas. The vajra (thunderbolt) symbolizes divine authority used to punish those who abandon dharma and to restore cosmic order.
It denotes people who have fallen away from righteous conduct and social-religious norms. Ethically, the verse frames adharmic behavior as leading to downfall and divine retribution.
Purāṇas often move from an episode of punishment or correction to a genealogy that highlights exemplars of dharma. Here, the transition contrasts the fate of the adharmic with the lineage of the righteous.