Vamana Purana — Andhaka's Defeat & Redemption, Shloka 66

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

Devanagari script

त्रैविद्यस्त्वं जितक्रोधो जितारिर्विजितेन्द्रियः जयश्च शूलपाणिस्त्वं त्राहि मां शरणागतम्

Transliteration

traividyastvaṃ jitakrodho jitārirvijitendriyaḥ jayaśca śūlapāṇistvaṃ trāhi māṃ śaraṇāgatam

Translation

“You are the knower of the three Vedas; you have conquered anger; you have conquered enemies; you are one who has mastered the senses. You are Victory itself, and you are the bearer of the trident. Protect me—I have come seeking refuge.”

Speakers

• Daityādhipa addressing Śiva in a plea for protection; the verse functions as a śaraṇāgati (refuge) statement within the hymn.

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Śūlapāṇi)

Key Themes

• Śaraṇāgati (seeking refuge)
• Ethical mastery (anger-control, sense-control) as divine attributes
• Śiva as protector and granter of victory
• Vedic legitimacy of the deity (traividya)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is ‘traividya’ describing Śiva as Vedic, or the devotee as Vedic?

Grammatically it addresses the deity (“tvaṃ … traividyaḥ”), portraying Śiva as the ground of Vedic knowledge and thus fully legitimate within Vedic revelation—an important Purāṇic strategy for integrating sectarian devotion with śruti authority.

Why list moral disciplines (anger-control, sense-control) as divine qualities?

Purāṇic hymns often present the deity as the perfected archetype of virtues. By praising these traits in Śiva, the text implies that devotees who seek refuge should also cultivate these disciplines, aligning devotion with dharma and self-mastery.

What is the doctrinal weight of ‘śaraṇāgatam’ here?

It marks a formal surrender motif: the speaker claims the status of a refuge-seeker, which in Purāṇic narrative typically obligates the deity to protect, even when the supplicant is a daitya. This underscores Śiva’s impartiality and the power of sincere supplication.