Vamana Purana — Sukeshi's Inquiry into Dharma, Shloka 20

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

Devanagari script

इत्येवसुक्त्वा वचनं वेगेनाबिससार च/ जग्राह पाणिना दणेडं हसन् सव्येन नारद

Transliteration

ityevasuktvā vacanaṃ vegenābisasāra ca/ jagrāha pāṇinā daṇeḍaṃ hasan savyena nārada

Translation

Setelah berkata demikian, dia menerpa ke hadapan dengan laju; namun Nārada, sambil tersenyum, menyambar tongkat itu dengan tangan kirinya.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: वाक्य-समाप्ति/उद्धरण (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: वाक्य-बल (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• सुक्त्वा: having said
• सुक्त्वा: क्रियाविशेषण (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), ‘having spoken’

• वचनम्: words/speech
• वचनम्: कर्म (उक्तेः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वेगेन: with speed
• वेगेन: करण (instrument; manner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• अभिससार: rushed toward
• अभिससार: क्रिया (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √सृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: अभि

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• जग्राह: seized/took
• जग्राह: क्रिया (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• पाणिना: with the hand
• पाणिना: करण (instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• दण्डम्: staff/rod
• दण्डम्: कर्म (कर्मन्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• हसन्: laughing
• हसन्: कर्ता-विशेषण (कर्तरि विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हसन् (कृदन्त; √हस् धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; concomitant action (while laughing)

• सव्येन: with the left (hand)
• सव्येन: करण (instrument; with the left)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘left’ (hand/side)

• नारद: Nārada
• नारद: कर्ता (कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (contextually subject; sometimes vocative in manuscripts)

Speakers

• Narrator; action centered on Nārada and Andhaka

Primary Deities

• Nārada

Key Themes

• Daitya-Deva Conflict
• Divine intervention
• Sage as mediator
• Daṇḍa (cosmic discipline)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Nārada’s calm, smiling restraint contrasts with Andhaka’s impulsive charge: wisdom subdues violence without mirroring it. The sage functions as a regulator of conflict, redirecting rash agency before it escalates.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Vamśānucarita/Carita: narrative action involving prominent beings (daitya hero, devarṣi) within the moral theatre of Purāṇic history.

What is the symbolic significance?

The daṇḍa signifies punitive authority; Nārada taking it ‘with the left hand’ while smiling can indicate effortless mastery over coercive power, and that dharmic control of force belongs to spiritual insight rather than brute strength.