Shloka 29
The Burning of Tripura and the Sacred Greatness of Amarakāṇṭaka
Jvāleśvara on the Narmadā
सह स्त्रीबालवृद्धेषु गोषु पक्षिषु वाजिषु । निर्दयो दहते वह्निर्हरकोपेन प्रेरितः
saha strībālavṛddheṣu goṣu pakṣiṣu vājiṣu | nirdayo dahate vahnirharakopena preritaḥ
സ്ത്രീകളും കുട്ടികളും വൃദ്ധരുമൊത്ത്—പശുക്കൾ, പക്ഷികൾ, കുതിരകൾ എന്നിവരോടുകൂടി—ഹരന്റെ കോപം പ്രേരിപ്പിച്ച നിർദയ അഗ്നി എല്ലാവരെയും ദഹിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.
Unspecified (narratorial verse within Svarga-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: Unchecked wrath and cosmic retribution can become indiscriminate; therefore dharma requires restraint, compassion, and alignment with higher will.
Application: Guard against anger that harms innocents; practice ahiṁsā, patience, and corrective action without cruelty; seek inner governance through devotion and self-discipline.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A merciless inferno sweeps through a celestial settlement, engulfing not only warriors but women, children, elders, and animals—cows, birds, and horses—caught in a storm of flame. Above the blaze, the unseen impetus of Hara’s wrath is suggested by a dark, storm-like aura, as if anger itself has become wind driving the fire forward.","primary_figures":["Agni (as consuming fire)","Hara (Śiva) as wrathful presence (symbolic/upper register)","Women, children, elders","Cows, birds, horses"],"setting":"Celestial streets and courtyards, stables and aviaries, collapsing fences and burning trees, smoke-choked sky.","lighting_mood":"apocalyptic firestorm with ominous overcast","color_palette":["blood red","flame orange","soot black","ashen white","storm purple"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: intense narrative panel with gold leaf flames sweeping across the lower register; figures and animals in expressive poses; in the upper register, a stylized Hara visage or trident-emblem within a dark aura, gem-studded ornaments contrasting with devastation, ornate borders framing the moral gravity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: controlled yet poignant depiction—small fleeing figures, animals in motion, flames as stylized curves; a brooding violet-gray sky; a symbolic Śiva-emblem in clouds, delicate brushwork emphasizing tragedy rather than gore.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and saturated reds/yellows; rhythmic flame patterns; expressive wide-eyed figures; Śiva’s wrath indicated by a looming upper-panel icon (trident, crescent moon, third eye) amid dark tonal fields, temple-wall storytelling composition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: dense patterned flames and smoke as textile motifs; animals and people arranged in narrative bands; a symbolic Śiva-triśūla in the border medallion; deep indigo ground with gold speckled embers, emphasizing cosmic judgment through decorative intensity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["roaring fire","animal cries","panicked footsteps","thunder-like drum (mridangam)","conch blast (sharp)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वह्निर्हरकोपेन = वह्निः + हरकोपेन; (visarga sandhi: ः + ह → र्ह).
FAQs
It depicts catastrophic, indiscriminate destruction—fire consuming even the most vulnerable beings—presented as being propelled by Śiva (Hara)’s anger, underscoring the terrifying consequences of cosmic or moral disorder.
They represent the vulnerable and the innocent; naming them highlights that the calamity is not selective, intensifying the moral and emotional force of the description.
The verse warns against conditions that unleash widespread suffering—encouraging restraint, protection of the vulnerable, and adherence to dharma so that destructive forces (literal or symbolic) are not set in motion.