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

ते गिधाडे, बगळे व महाहंसांनी शोभून दिसत होते; ससाणे व शिकारी पक्ष्यांनी चिन्हांकित होते; रानकावळे व बदकांनी भरलेले, आणि कोल्हे व अन्य हिंस्र पशूंनी गजबजलेले होते।

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.