Vamana Purana — Daksha's Sacrifice & Kapalin Rudra, Shloka 40
Daksha’s Sacrifice and the Origin of Kapalin Rudra (Pulastya–Narada Dialogue)
स प्राह गच्छ दुर्बुद्धे मा त्वां शूलिन् निपातये भवान् पापसमायुक्तः पापिष्ठं को जिघांसति
sa prāha gaccha durbuddhe mā tvāṃ śūlin nipātaye bhavān pāpasamāyuktaḥ pāpiṣṭhaṃ ko jighāṃsati
ಅವನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—“ಓ ದುರ್ಬುದ್ಧೇ, ಹೋಗು. ಓ ಶೂಲಧಾರೀ, ನಿನ್ನನ್ನು ನಾನು ನೆಲಕ್ಕುರುಳಿಸಿ ಸಂಹರಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ನೀನು ಪಾಪಸಮಾಯುಕ್ತನು; ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಪಾಪಿಷ್ಠನನ್ನು ಯಾರು ಕೊಲ್ಲಲು ಬಯಸುತ್ತಾರೆ?”
{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Even when one has the power to punish, restraint is praised; destroying the deeply sinful is portrayed as spiritually unrewarding, implying that correction, withdrawal, or non-engagement may be superior to violent retribution.
This is best classified under Vamśānucarita/Carita-type narrative material (didactic episode within a story), rather than cosmology (sarga/pratisarga) or genealogies proper.
Rudra as Śūlin represents punitive cosmic force; the speaker’s refusal to ‘strike down’ suggests that dharma includes discrimination in the use of power, and that tapas/kshetra-oriented sanctity (developed in the next verses) can redirect even fierce divinity toward higher aims.