Vamana Purana — Sati's Death & Virabhadra, Shloka 13
Sati’s Death and the Assault on Daksha’s Sacrifice: Virabhadra versus the Devas
आगतो ददृशे देवीं लतामिव वनस्पतेः कृत्तां परशुना भूमौ श्लथाङ्गीं पतितां सतीम्
āgato dadṛśe devīṃ latāmiva vanaspateḥ kṛttāṃ paraśunā bhūmau ślathāṅgīṃ patitāṃ satīm
Having come there, he saw the Goddess—like a creeper upon a tree—cut down by an axe, fallen upon the ground, her limbs slack: the virtuous Satī.
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FAQs
The simile of a creeper cut down underscores the fragility of embodied life and the adharma of harming the innocent. It also evokes the protective duty of the divine (and by extension, of society) toward the vulnerable.
As with the surrounding verses, it functions as carita (narrative episode) within Vamśānucarita-type storytelling, rather than cosmogenesis or manvantara cataloguing.
Devi compared to a latā (creeper) suggests śakti as life-sap/support entwined with the cosmic ‘tree’; the ‘axe’ image symbolizes disruptive, egoic or demonic force that severs harmony, prompting restorative action by Śiva.