Vamana Purana — Shukra's Samjivani, Shloka 81

Shukra’s Saṃjīvanī, Shiva’s Containment of the Asuras, and Indra’s Recovery of Power

Devanagari script

इत्वेवमुक्ते वचने बाढं सुन्दो ऽम्भयभाषत समजायत शैलादिरन्धकः शङ्करो ऽप्यभूत्

Transliteration

itvevamukte vacane bāḍhaṃ sundo 'mbhayabhāṣata samajāyata śailādirandhakaḥ śaṅkaro 'pyabhūt

Translation

“When these words had thus been spoken, Sundo replied, ‘So be it.’ From the mountain and the like (i.e., from rocky mass), Andhaka came into being; and Śaṅkara too manifested (in response).”

Speakers

• Narrative voice reporting Sundo’s assent and subsequent manifestations; Sundo is explicitly the respondent.

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Śaṅkara)

Key Themes

• Asura genealogy and manifestation motifs
• Śaiva theophany (Śaṅkara’s appearance)
• Mythic etiologies (birth from mountain/rock)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘śailādi’ suggest about Andhaka’s origin?

‘Śailādi’ signals a non-womb, elemental origin—birth from mountain/rock-like substance—common in Purāṇic demonologies to mark beings as ‘earth-born’ or ‘element-born,’ emphasizing raw, untamed power.

Why does the verse say ‘Śaṅkara too manifested’?

In the Andhaka cycle, Śiva’s presence is narratively necessary because Andhaka’s rise provokes Śiva’s intervention. The phrase indicates Śiva’s responsive theophany—he ‘becomes present’ in the story-world as events ripen toward conflict.

Is Sundo the same figure as in the Sundo–Upasundo episode?

The name aligns with that well-known asura pair, and Purāṇas often reuse or interlink asura lineages. Without the surrounding verses, the safest reading is that this is the asura Sundo within a connected demon-genealogy tradition.