Vamana Purana — Andhaka's Defeat & Redemption, Shloka 93

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

Devanagari script

भृङ्गिरुवाच पापं प्रशममायातु त्रिविधं मम पार्वति तथेश्वरे च सततं भक्तिरस्तु ममाम्विके

Transliteration

bhṛṅgiruvāca pāpaṃ praśamamāyātu trividhaṃ mama pārvati tatheśvare ca satataṃ bhaktirastu mamāmvike

Translation

None explicit.

Speakers

• Bhṛṅgī addressing Pārvatī/Ambikā (in the narrative frame of Andhaka episode).

Primary Deities

• Pārvatī (Ambikā)
• Śiva (Īśvara)

Key Themes

• Confession and expiation (pāpa-praśama)
• Bhakti to Śiva
• Goddess as granter of purification and devotion
• Ethical interiority (threefold sin)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is meant by ‘threefold sin’ (trividha pāpa) in this context?

In Purāṇic and dharma idiom, ‘threefold’ commonly points to faults committed through body, speech, and mind. The prayer asks for comprehensive purification across all modes of action.

Why is devotion to Śiva requested from Pārvatī rather than directly from Śiva?

As Śiva’s Śakti, Pārvatī is portrayed as the compassionate mediator who grants inner transformation—purification and stable devotion—so that the devotee’s relationship to Īśvara becomes constant and mature.

How does this verse function within the Andhaka cycle?

It models the ethical turn from conflict to surrender: even figures in a martial mythic setting articulate repentance and seek devotion, reinforcing that victory over demonic tendencies includes inner reform, not only external defeat.