Vamana Purana — Andhaka's Defeat & Redemption, Shloka 50

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

Devanagari script

तस्यां गतायां वरदः कुजस्य प्रादाद् वरं सर्ववरोत्तमं यत् ग्रहाधिपत्यं जगातां शुभाशुभं भविष्यति त्वद्वरागं महात्मन // वम्प्_44.48 हरो ऽन्धकं वर्षसहस्रमात्रं दिव्यं स्वनेत्रार्कहुताशनेन चकार संशुष्कतनुं त्वशोणितं त्वगस्थिशेषं भगवान् स भैरवः // वम्प्_44.49 तत्राग्निना नेत्रभवेन शुद्धः स मुक्तपापो ऽसुरराड् बभुव ततः प्रजानां बहुरूपमीशं नाथं हि सर्वस्य चराचरस्य

Transliteration

tasyāṃ gatāyāṃ varadaḥ kujasya prādād varaṃ sarvavarottamaṃ yat grahādhipatyaṃ jagātāṃ śubhāśubhaṃ bhaviṣyati tvadvarāgaṃ mahātmana // VamP_44.48 haro 'ndhakaṃ varṣasahasramātraṃ divyaṃ svanetrārkahutāśanena cakāra saṃśuṣkatanuṃ tvaśoṇitaṃ tvagasthiśeṣaṃ bhagavān sa bhairavaḥ // VamP_44.49 tatrāgninā netrabhavena śuddhaḥ sa muktapāpo 'surarāḍ babhuva tataḥ prajānāṃ bahurūpamīśaṃ nāthaṃ hi sarvasya carācarasya

Translation

Ketika ia telah pergi ke sana, sang pemberi anugerah, Kujā (Mars), menganugerahkan karunia yang terbaik: wahai Mahātmā, oleh daya anugerahmu ia akan memperoleh kekuasaan di antara planet-planet dan menjadi pengatur hasil baik dan buruk bagi makhluk. Lalu Hara dalam wujud Bhairava, Tuhan Yang Mulia, dengan api—laksana matahari—dari matanya sendiri, membakar Andhaka selama seribu tahun ilahi, mengeringkan tubuhnya hingga tanpa kulit dan darah, menyisakan sisa kulit dan tulang. Disucikan di sana oleh api yang lahir dari mata (Tuhan), raja para Asura pun bebas dari dosa; kemudian ia mengenali Tuhan yang berwujud banyak, Penguasa segala yang bergerak dan tak bergerak.

Speakers

• Narrator voice (Purāṇic narrator) describing events; Andhaka is the subject of the narrative.

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Hara)
• Bhairava
• Kuja (Mars)

Key Themes

• Boons and their karmic consequences
• Planetary governance (graha-adhipatya) and śubhāśubha-phala
• Śiva’s eye-fire as purificatory punishment
• Sin-removal through divine chastisement
• Recognition of the supreme Lord (īśvara-jñāna)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Kuja (Mars) connected with ‘auspicious and inauspicious’ outcomes here?

The verse frames Kuja’s boon as ‘grahādhipatya’—planetary rulership—implying a jyotiṣa-like worldview where grahas administer karmic results (śubha/āśubha). Mars is classically linked with vigor, conflict, injury, and decisive action; thus his ‘governance’ naturally extends to mixed outcomes depending on merit and demerit.

Is Bhairava’s eye-fire purely punitive, or also purificatory?

Both. The narrative explicitly states that Andhaka is ‘śuddhaḥ’ (purified) by the eye-born fire and becomes ‘mukta-pāpa’ (freed from sin). The prolonged burning symbolizes the exhaustion of accumulated impurity and arrogance, converting punishment into a rite of purification.

What does ‘carācarasya nātha’ signal in the theology of this passage?

It is a standard Purāṇic marker of supreme lordship: the deity addressed (Śiva here) is not merely a sectarian god but the master of the entire cosmos—mobile and immobile. This prepares the ground for Andhaka’s forthcoming stuti (hymn) and his shift from opposition to recognition.