Shloka 11

Gift of Sudarshana — Sanctification of Virupaksha

Devanagari script

उमापतौ पशुपतौ शूलधारिणि संकरे अप्रसन्ने विरुपाक्षे कुतः क्षीरेण भोजनम्

Transliteration

umāpatau paśupatau śūladhāriṇi saṃkare aprasanne virupākṣe kutaḥ kṣīreṇa bhojanam

Translation

ഉമാപതി, പശുപതി, ശൂലധാരി ശങ്കരൻ, വിരൂപാക്ഷൻ പ്രസന്നനല്ലെങ്കിൽ, പാലാൽ പോഷണം നൽകുന്ന ഭോജനം എങ്ങനെ ലഭിക്കും?

Speakers

• Mother (or an elder) addressing the child
• invoking Śiva’s epithets to explain scarcity as linked to divine displeasure (as presented by the narrative voice).

Primary Deities

• Shiva
• Uma (Parvati)

Key Themes

• Dependence on divine grace (prasāda)
• Śaiva devotion within a Mahātmya frame
• Household welfare linked to dharma and deity
• Didactic theology through everyday need

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the theological claim in ‘aprasanne … kutaḥ kṣīreṇa bhojanam’?

It asserts a prasāda-based worldview: material well-being (even basic nourishment) is ultimately contingent on divine favor. In Mahātmya literature, this often supports the practice of worship, vows, and tīrtha observance as means to restore ‘prasannatā’ (pleasedness) of the deity.

Why are multiple epithets of Śiva stacked in one line?

The piling of names (Umāpati, Paśupati, Śūladhārin, Śaṅkara, Virūpākṣa) functions like a compact stuti: it intensifies reverence, recalls Śiva’s cosmic roles (householder with Umā, lord of beings, wielder of power, beneficent protector), and rhetorically strengthens the mother’s admonition.

How does this fit a Vāmana Purāṇa geography/mahātmya setting if no place-name appears?

Mahātmyas frequently interweave local sacred geography with exemplary stories. Even when a single verse lacks toponyms, it can belong to a larger passage explaining why a particular tīrtha, shrine, or vow is efficacious—by grounding the narrative in the principle that divine satisfaction brings sustenance and prosperity.