Vamana Purana — Andhaka's Defeat & Redemption, Shloka 26

Andhaka’s Defeat, the Bhairava Manifestation, and His Redemption as Bhṛṅgī Gaṇapati

Devanagari script

दंष्ट्राकरालं रविकोटिसंनिभं मृगारिचर्माभिवृतं जटाधरम् भुजङ्गहारामलकण्ठकन्दरं विंशार्धबाहुं सषडर्धलोचनम्

Transliteration

daṃṣṭrākarālaṃ ravikoṭisaṃnibhaṃ mṛgāricarmābhivṛtaṃ jaṭādharam bhujaṅgahārāmalakaṇṭhakandaraṃ viṃśārdhabāhuṃ saṣaḍardhalocanam

Translation

tataḥ: then; apyabudhyata (apyabudhyata): awoke, came to awareness; ditiḥ: Diti (mother of Daityas); ajānāt: did not know, was unaware; śakra: Indra; ceṣṭitam (coṣṭitam as read here): deed, action, what was done (i.e., Indra’s act); śuśrāva: heard; vācam: voice, sound; putrasya: of (her) son; rudamānasya: of one who is crying; nārada: O Nārada (vocative, indicating the listener/addressee).

Speakers

• Narrator voice giving an iconographic/theophanic description of Bhairava’s manifested form.

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Bhairava/Rudra)

Key Themes

• Divine iconography (multi-armed, serpent garland, jaṭā)
• Ugra radiance and cosmic terror
• Poetic hyperbole in Purāṇic battle scenes
• Śiva’s liminal symbols (skin, serpents, matted hair)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are serpents, skins, and matted hair emphasized in this description?

These are classic Śaiva markers: serpents signify mastery over death and fear; the animal hide signals ascetic wildness and transcendence of social norms; jaṭā indicates tapas and primordial power. Together they frame Bhairava as both ascetic and annihilating protector.

How should we understand the unusual counts ‘twenty-and-a-half arms’ and ‘six-and-a-half eyes’?

Such fractional numerals are atypical and may reflect (a) a scribal/recensional variant, (b) a metrical/poetic intensifier, or (c) a deliberate hyperbole indicating ‘beyond count’ supernormality. A critical edition comparison would be needed to decide whether the archetype intended ‘twenty arms’ and ‘six eyes’ (or another standard number).

What is conveyed by ‘radiant like ten million suns’ (ravi-koṭi-sannibha)?

It asserts a theophany: Bhairava’s body becomes a cosmic light-source, overwhelming ordinary perception. In narrative terms, it explains why the three worlds are ‘terrified’—the form is not merely large but cosmically incandescent and unapproachable.