Vamana Purana — Andhaka's Defeat & Redemption, Shloka 65

Andhaka’s Defeat, the Bhairava Manifestation, and His Redemption as Bhṛṅgī Gaṇapati

Devanagari script

अन्तः सर्वागो व्यापी हंसः प्राणाधिपो ऽच्युतः गीर्वाणपतिरव्यग्रो रुद्रः पशुपतिः शिवः

Transliteration

antaḥ sarvāgo vyāpī haṃsaḥ prāṇādhipo 'cyutaḥ gīrvāṇapatiravyagro rudraḥ paśupatiḥ śivaḥ

Translation

તમે અંતર્યામી, સર્વાંગ અને સર્વવ્યાપી છો; તમે હંસ છો; તમે પ્રાણોના અધિપતિ અચ્યુત છો. તમે દેવોના પતિ, અવ્યગ્ર; તમે રુદ્ર, પશુપતિ, શિવ છો.

Speakers

• Daityādhipa (lord of the Daityas) praising Maheśvara/Śiva; narrative frame continues with Pulastya speaking to a Brahman interlocutor (likely Nārada in the wider dialogue).

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Maheśvara/Rudra/Paśupati)
• Vishnu (Acyuta—epithet used within the hymn)
• Indra (implied by gīrvāṇapati as a title)

Key Themes

• Stuti (hymn of praise)
• Shaiva–Vaishnava unity through shared epithets
• Supreme immanence and pervasion (antarvyāpti)
• Prāṇa and inner Self theology

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does a hymn to Śiva include the epithet ‘Acyuta’, usually associated with Viṣṇu?

Purāṇic stutis often employ ‘shared’ supreme epithets to express a non-competitive hierarchy: the praised deity is presented as the ultimate reality that can be named by titles familiar from other traditions. Here, ‘Acyuta’ functions as ‘the unfailing/imperishable’ rather than as a sectarian marker, reinforcing Śiva’s transcendence and stability.

What is the significance of ‘Haṃsa’ in this verse?

‘Haṃsa’ commonly symbolizes the supreme Self (paramātman) and the liberated sage (paramahaṃsa). In devotional theology it can denote the inner guide who ‘moves’ in all beings, aligning with the verse’s emphasis on indwelling (antaḥ) and all-pervasion (vyāpī).

How do ‘prāṇādhipa’ and ‘antaḥ’ work together theologically?

They link cosmic sovereignty with interiority: the deity is not only a transcendent lord but also the regulator of life-breath within beings. This is a typical Purāṇic bridge between ritual devotion and contemplative metaphysics.