Vamana Purana — Rudra's Wrath & Kalarupa, Shloka 26

Rudra’s Wrath at Daksha’s Sacrifice and the Iconography of Kālarūpa through the Zodiac

Devanagari script

अग्नौ प्रणष्टे यज्ञो ऽपि भूत्वा दिव्यवपुर्मृगः दुद्राव विक्लवगतिर्दक्षिणासहितो ऽम्बरे

Transliteration

agnau praṇaṣṭe yajño 'pi bhūtvā divyavapurmṛgaḥ dudrāva viklavagatirdakṣiṇāsahito 'mbare

Translation

Quand le feu sacrificiel fut anéanti, Yajña lui-même (le sacrifice), prenant la forme d’un cerf au corps divin, s’enfuit, affolé, à travers le ciel, accompagné de la dakṣiṇā (les honoraires rituels).

Word by Word

• agnau: when/in the fire
• agnau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• praṇaṣṭe: having perished/being destroyed
• praṇaṣṭe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + naś (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular; agreeing with agnau (locative absolute sense)

• yajñaḥ: the sacrifice (personified)
• yajñaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle

• bhūtvā: having become
• bhūtvā: Pūrvakāla (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा)

• divyavapuḥ: of divine form/body
• divyavapuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divya + vapuḥ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; Karmadhāraya: divyaṃ vapuḥ

• mṛgaḥ: a deer
• mṛgaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; in apposition to yajñaḥ

• dudrāva: ran
• dudrāva: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dru (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular

• viklavagatiḥ: with a bewildered gait
• viklavagatiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viklava + gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular; Karmadhāraya: viklavā gatiḥ (having a confused/helpless movement)

• dakṣiṇāsahitaḥ: accompanied by Dakṣiṇā
• dakṣiṇāsahitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇā + sahita (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्ताधारित)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; Tatpuruṣa: dakṣiṇayā sahitaḥ (accompanied by the sacrificial fee/ Dakṣiṇā personified)

• ambare: in the sky
• ambare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ambara (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

Speakers

• Narrative layer not explicitly given in input (commonly Pulastya → Nārada in Vāmana Purāṇa framing)

Primary Deities

• Yajña (personified sacrifice)
• Śiva (contextual, as pursuer in next verse)

Key Themes

• Ritual disruption
• Personification of Yajña
• Cosmic order vs. disorder
• Śaiva narrative motifs

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Ritual (yajña) is not merely external performance; when its sustaining principle (agni, order, discipline) collapses, the rite becomes unstable and ‘flees’—a warning that dharma requires integrity, not only procedure.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is best classified under Vamśānucarita/Carita-type narration (itihāsa-like episode within the Purāṇic story stream), not sarga/pratisarga; it is an illustrative myth supporting dharma and deity-mahātmyas.

What is the symbolic significance?

Yajña as a deer echoes the motif of the sacrifice becoming a quarry when cosmic balance is disturbed; the ‘dakṣiṇā’ following it suggests that merit and ritual rewards also become unmoored when the rite is violated.