Vamana Purana — Andhaka's Coronation, Shloka 38

Andhaka’s Coronation, Boons from Shiva, and the Daiva–Asura War (Vahana Catalogues)

Devanagari script

गृध्रकङ्कमहाहंसा श्येनचक्रआह्वमण्डिता वनवायसकादम्बा गोमायुश्वापदाकुला

Transliteration

gṛdhrakaṅkamahāhaṃsā śyenacakraāhvamaṇḍitā vanavāyasakādambā gomāyuśvāpadākulā

Translation

അത് കഴുകന്മാർ, കൊക്കുകൾ, മഹാഹംസങ്ങൾ എന്നിവകൊണ്ട് അലങ്കരിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരുന്നു; ശ്യേനങ്ങളും വേട്ടപ്പക്ഷികളും അതിനെ അടയാളപ്പെടുത്തി; കാട്ടുകാക്കകളും താറാവുകളും നിറഞ്ഞു, കുറുക്കന്മാരും മറ്റു ക്രൂരമൃഗങ്ങളും കുത്തിനിറഞ്ഞിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• गृध्र-कङ्क-महाहंसाः: vultures, herons, and great swans
• गृध्र-कङ्क-महाहंसाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृध्र (प्रातिपदिक) + कङ्क (प्रातिपदिक) + महाहंस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः (समाहार/इतरेतर-भावे)

• श्येन-चक्र-आह्व-मण्डिताः: adorned with hawks, chakravāka-birds, and other calls/cries
• श्येन-चक्र-आह्व-मण्डिताः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्येन (प्रातिपदिक) + चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आह्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मण्डित (कृदन्त; √मण्ड् (धातु) क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्; समासः—(श्येनचक्रआह्वैः) मण्डिताः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः)

• वन-वायस-कादम्बाः: forest crows and kādamba-birds
• वन-वायस-कादम्बाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक) + वायस (प्रातिपदिक) + कादम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—वनस्थाः वायसाः कादम्बाश्च (समाहारार्थे)

• गोमायु-श्वापद-आकुलाः: filled with jackals and wild beasts
• गोमायु-श्वापद-आकुलाः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोमायु (प्रातिपदिक) + श्वापद (प्रातिपदिक) + आकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्; समासः—गोमायुभिः श्वापदैश्च आकुलाः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः)

Speakers

• Narrative layer not explicit in the given verses; in Vāmana Purāṇa commonly Pulastya → Nārada (probable overarching frame)

Key Themes

• Sacred Geography
• Tīrtha-Māhātmya
• Perilous Landscape
• Nature Imagery

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "bibhatsa", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The passage underscores the liminal, testing quality of certain landscapes: the pilgrim/hero must move through zones of fear and disorder. Such descriptions function as a reminder that dharma is maintained not in comfort but amid risk, vigilance, and self-control.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa?

It aligns most closely with tīrtha-prasaṃśā / kṣetra-māhātmya material that Purāṇas often embed within broader vamśānucarita or narrative frames. It is not sarga/pratisarga proper; it is descriptive-legendary geography supporting sacred-place discourse.

What is the symbolic significance?

Birds of prey and scavengers (vultures, hawks) alongside jackals evoke a field of death and impermanence—an image that can symbolically ‘purify’ attachment and pride before one reaches sanctified space. The ‘adornment’ is intentionally grim: it sacralizes the boundary by portraying it as formidable.