Vamana Purana — Sukeshi's Inquiry into Dharma, Shloka 16

Sukeshi’s Inquiry into Dharma: The Seven Dvipas and the Twenty-One Hells

Devanagari script

तां बाणवृष्टिमतुलां दण्डेनाहत्य भास्करिः शातयित्वा प्रचिक्षेप दण्डं लोकभयङ्करम्

Transliteration

tāṃ bāṇavṛṣṭimatulāṃ daṇḍenāhatya bhāskariḥ śātayitvā pracikṣepa daṇḍaṃ lokabhayaṅkaram

Translation

ഭാസ്കരി (സൗരൻ) ആ അതുല്യമായ അമ്പുമഴയെ ദണ്ഡംകൊണ്ട് അടിച്ച് തകർത്തു; പിന്നെ ലോകങ്ങളെ ഭയപ്പെടുത്തുന്ന ദണ്ഡം എറിഞ്ഞു।

Word by Word

• ताम्: that (she/it)
• ताम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (Singular)

• बाणवृष्टिम्: shower of arrows
• बाणवृष्टिम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण-वृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः ‘shower of arrows’

• अतुलाम्: unequalled
• अतुलाम्: कर्म (Karma/Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतुला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifying बाणवृष्टिम्)

• दण्डेन: with the staff
• दण्डेन: करण (Karaṇa/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन (Singular)

• आहत्य: having struck
• आहत्य: पूर्वकालक्रिया (Pūrvakāla-kriyā/Anterior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभावः; ‘having struck’

• भास्करिः: Bhāskari (the Sun’s one / Sun-born)
• भास्करिः: कर्ता (Kartā/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भास्करि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular); agent noun/epithet (here: Yama/son of Sun)

• शातयित्वा: having shattered
• शातयित्वा: पूर्वकालक्रिया (Pūrvakāla-kriyā/Anterior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शातय् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभावः; causative of √शद्/शात् sense ‘to shatter/cut to pieces’

• प्रचिक्षेप: threw forth
• प्रचिक्षेप: क्रिया (Kriyā/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• दण्डम्: the staff
• दण्डम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (Singular)

• लोकभयङ्करम्: terrifying to the worlds
• लोकभयङ्करम्: कर्म (Karma/Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोक-भयङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः ‘causing fear to the worlds’ (qualifying दण्डम्)

Speakers

• Narratorial layer not explicit in the provided verses

Primary Deities

• Sūrya (solar power, via Bhāskari/Ravinandana)

Key Themes

• Daitya–Deva Conflict
• Divine weapon-countering
• Protection of cosmic order

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Disciplined power (daṇḍa) is portrayed as the means to neutralize overwhelming aggression; the ‘daṇḍa’ also evokes righteous restraint and corrective authority rather than mere retaliation.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

As with the prior verse, this is narrative material (Vaṃśānucarita/Carita style) embedded in mythic-historical conflict, not cosmogenesis (sarga) or dissolution (pralaya) proper.

What is the symbolic significance?

The daṇḍa signifies dharma’s enforcing principle—order that can ‘break’ chaos. The phrase ‘lokabhayaṅkara’ frames this force as awe-inspiring cosmic authority, akin to royal punishment (rājadaṇḍa) on a universal scale.