Vamana Purana — Shukra's Samjivani, Shloka 101

Shukra’s Saṃjīvanī, Shiva’s Containment of the Asuras, and Indra’s Recovery of Power

Devanagari script

खङ्गेन च चकर्तान्यान् दृष्ट्यान्यान् भस्मासाद्व्यधात् हलेनाकृष्य चैवान्यान् मु सलेन व्यचूर्णयत्

Transliteration

khaṅgena ca cakartānyān dṛṣṭyānyān bhasmāsādvyadhāt halenākṛṣya caivānyān mu salena vyacūrṇayat

Translation

With a sword he cut down some; with a mere glance he reduced others to ashes; drawing yet others toward him with a plough, he crushed them with a pestle.

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic voice) describing the combat to the listening sage(s) (context of Adhyaya 43).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Hari)
• Shiva (contextual, Andhaka-vadha frame)

Key Themes

• Daitya-nigraha (destruction of demons)
• Divine omnipotence (glance as weapon)
• Iconic weaponry (hala-musala)
• Protection of cosmic order

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are multiple weapons (sword, glance, plough, pestle) emphasized in a single verse?

The verse compresses a battlefield panorama to highlight divine sovereignty: physical weapons (khaṅga, musala) and supra-physical power (dṛṣṭi that burns to ash) together signal that the deity’s agency is not limited to ordinary combat.

What is the significance of the plough (hala) and pestle (musala) here?

Hala and musala are hallmark emblems of Balarāma, but Purāṇas sometimes deploy such weapon-sets to evoke a ‘Hari-as-warrior’ typology. The point is less strict iconography and more the irresistible force that drags foes in (ākṛṣya) and annihilates them.

Does this verse contain tirtha or geographic data typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

No. This is a narrative-combat unit within the Andhaka-vadha frame; unlike the Saromāhātmya-style passages, it does not name rivers, forests, or pilgrimage sites.