Vamana Purana — Andhaka's Defeat & Redemption, Shloka 57

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

Devanagari script

त्रिणाचिकेतस्त्रिपदप्रतिष्ठः षडङ्गवित् त्वं विषयेष्वलुब्धः त्रैलोक्यनाथो ऽसि पुनीहि शंभो दासो ऽस्मि भीतः शरणागतस्ते

Transliteration

triṇāciketastripadapratiṣṭhaḥ ṣaḍaṅgavit tvaṃ viṣayeṣvalubdhaḥ trailokyanātho 'si punīhi śaṃbho dāso 'smi bhītaḥ śaraṇāgataste

Translation

[{"question": "Why does Indra become fearful when others perform tapas aiming at ‘Indra’s post’?", "answer": "Purāṇic narrative frequently portrays Indra’s sovereignty as conditional and contestable: intense tapas can earn boons that threaten cosmic hierarchy. Indra’s fear functions as a plot-device that tests ascetics and preserves dharmic order."}, {"question": "Is “brahmaṇam” here Brahmā or impersonal Brahman?", "answer": "Given the explicit goal of obtaining ‘aindram padam’ (Indra’s office), the text typically implies propitiation of the deity Brahmā as boon-giver within the administrative cosmos, rather than abstract Brahman."}, {"question": "What is the significance of the name Vipaścit?", "answer": "Vipaścit literally means ‘the discerning/wise.’ Such names often signal a leading figure among ascetics or a principal claimant whose tapas is especially potent—hence Indra’s heightened anxiety."}]

Speakers

• Same supplicant/devotee addressing Śiva (Śaṃbhu) in a continuous hymn.

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Śaṃbhu)

Key Themes

• Śaraṇāgati
• Śiva’s omniscience and ascetic detachment
• Vedic learning (Vedāṅga)
• Cosmic lordship (trailokya)
• Devotee humility (dāsya-bhāva)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Does ‘ṣaḍaṅgavit’ refer to yoga (six limbs) or Vedāṅga (six limbs of the Veda)?

In Purāṇic stotra diction, ‘ṣaḍaṅga’ most commonly points to the six Vedāṅgas, especially when paired with other Vedic markers (like ‘Trayī’ in the previous verse). It proclaims Śiva as the ground of Vedic knowledge and its correct articulation.

What is the theological point of calling Śiva ‘viṣayeṣv alubdhaḥ’ (not deluded by objects)?

It highlights Śiva’s vairāgya (non-attachment) and transcendence of guṇic entanglement. In a purification-prayer context, the devotee contrasts their own vulnerability with the deity’s unshakable mastery, making Śiva the proper refuge for cleansing and protection.

How should ‘tri-pada-pratiṣṭha’ be read given the famous ‘three strides’ are usually Viṣṇu’s?

Stotras often ‘share’ cosmic motifs across deities to assert supremacy or unity. Here it can mean ‘founded on the three worlds’ or ‘grounded in the tripartite Vedic/cosmic order’; it need not be a direct Viṣṇu-avatāra reference, but a way to say Śiva is the stable foundation of the universe.