Vamana Purana — Andhaka's Defeat & Redemption, Shloka 89

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

Devanagari script

पश्यस्व प्रणतिं यातं स्वसुतं चारुहासिनि इत्युच्चार्यान्धकं चैव पुत्र पह्येहि सत्वरम्

Transliteration

paśyasva praṇatiṃ yātaṃ svasutaṃ cāruhāsini ityuccāryāndhakaṃ caiva putra pahyehi satvaram

Translation

‘હે સુમધુરહાસિની, પ્રણામ કરવા આવેલો તારો પુત્ર જો.’ એમ કહીને તેમણે અંધકને પણ કહ્યું— ‘પુત્ર, ત્વરાથી (માતાને) જો.’

Speakers

• Narrator (via Pulastya’s narration) describing Nandī speaking—addressing Ambikā (Pārvatī) and then Andhaka.

Primary Deities

• Ambikā (Pārvatī/Gaurī)
• Śiva (implied)
• Nandī

Key Themes

• Repentance and submission (praṇati)
• Approach to the Goddess for refuge
• Śaiva devotional framework
• Mediation by Śiva’s gaṇa (Nandī)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is the “fair-smiling one” (cāruhāsinī) addressed here?

The epithet cāruhāsinī is a conventional honorific for the Goddess, here Ambikā/Pārvatī, emphasizing her gracious, compassionate aspect even when approached by a transgressor.

Why is Andhaka told to ‘look upon her’ immediately?

In Śaiva narrative logic, direct turning toward the Goddess—physically and mentally—signals a shift from hostility or delusion to surrender; it initiates the possibility of purification through devotion and praise.

Is this verse about a tīrtha or pilgrimage site?

Not directly. Although the Vāmana Purāṇa often foregrounds sacred geography, this unit is primarily mythic-ethical narrative (Andhaka’s turning toward the Goddess), with no place-names in the verse itself.