Vamana Purana — Sukeshi's Inquiry into Dharma, Shloka 32
Sukeshi’s Inquiry into Dharma: The Seven Dvipas and the Twenty-One Hells
स मृद्यमानो वरुणो गजेन्द्रं पद्भ्यां सुगाढं जगृहे महर्षे पादेषु भूमिं करयोः स्पृशंश्च मूर्द्धानमुल्लाल्य बलान्महात्मा
sa mṛdyamāno varuṇo gajendraṃ padbhyāṃ sugāḍhaṃ jagṛhe maharṣe pādeṣu bhūmiṃ karayoḥ spṛśaṃśca mūrddhānamullālya balānmahātmā
While being crushed, Varuṇa—O great sage—firmly seized the lordly elephant by its feet; and as its feet touched the earth and its hands (forelimbs/trunk) reached down, the great-souled one lifted up its head by force.
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FAQs
Dharma is not merely endurance; it also includes decisive restraint of destructive force. Varuṇa embodies lawful control—meeting violence with measured but effective counteraction.
Vamśānucarita / narrative action sequence: a martial episode illustrating deva-function (Varuṇa as regulator). It supports Purāṇic didactic aims through exemplary conflict and resolution motifs.
Grasping the feet and lifting the head reverses domination: the ‘foundation’ (feet on earth) is controlled, and the ‘pride/command’ (head) is raised—symbolizing the reassertion of cosmic governance over unruly power.