Vamana Purana — Gift of Sudarshana, Shloka 24

The Gift of Sudarshana: Shiva’s Boon to Vishnu and the Sanctification of Virupaksha

Devanagari script

वरायुधो ऽयं देवेश सर्वायुधनिबर्हणः सुदर्शनो द्वादशारः षण्णाभिर्द्वियुगो जवी

Transliteration

varāyudho 'yaṃ deveśa sarvāyudhanibarhaṇaḥ sudarśano dvādaśāraḥ ṣaṇṇābhirdviyugo javī

Translation

{"bhagavata_parallel": null, "vishnu_purana_parallel": null, "ramayana_connection": "Echoes of Purāṇic/Rāmāyaṇa-style forest-mountain descriptions (e.g., Kiṣkindhā/Kailāsa-like scenic cataloguing), without direct episode linkage.", "mahabharata_echo": "Tīrtha-yātrā descriptive mode reminiscent of Mahābhārata Vana-parvan tīrtha-prasaṃśā.", "other_puranas": ["Skanda Purana (tirtha-mahatmya genre parallels)", "Padma Purana (tirtha-mahatmya passages)", "Agni Purana (lakṣaṇa of sacred places in descriptive catalogues)"], "vedic_reference": "General resonance with Ṛgvedic praise of mountains and waters (parvata/āpaḥ as life-giving), not a direct citation."}

Speakers

• Likely a ṛṣi/narrator addressing Viṣṇu (Deveśa) in praise; exact interlocutors not explicit in the given excerpt.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Stuti (praise of Viṣṇu’s discus)
• Cosmic order encoded in divine weaponry
• Protection of dharma through divine power

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are ‘twelve spokes’ and ‘six hubs’ highlighted in Sudarśana’s description?

Purāṇic stutis often read the discus as a cosmogram: twelve spokes commonly signify the twelve months (or twelve Ādityas), while six hubs suggest the six seasons (ṛtus). The weapon thus symbolizes time (kāla) and order (ṛta) under Viṣṇu’s sovereignty.

What does ‘destroyer of all weapons’ imply theologically?

It asserts Sudarśana’s supremacy: not merely a physical weapon, but the principle of divine, dharma-protecting power that overrides all hostile forces and their instruments.

How should ‘yoked in pairs’ (dvi-yuga) be understood here?

It can indicate paired structuring within time—such as the two pakṣas (bright/dark fortnights) or the pairing of months into seasons—reinforcing the idea that Sudarśana embodies regulated cyclical time.