Vamana Purana — Rudra's Wrath & Kalarupa, Shloka 8

Rudra’s Wrath at Daksha’s Sacrifice and the Iconography of Kālarūpa through the Zodiac

Devanagari script

ततः क्रोधाभिभूतेन शङ्करेण महात्मना तलप्रहारैरमरा बहवो विनिपातिताः

Transliteration

tataḥ krodhābhibhūtena śaṅkareṇa mahātmanā talaprahārairamarā bahavo vinipātitāḥ

Translation

Então, Śaṅkara, o grande de alma, dominado pela ira, desferiu golpes com a palma da mão, e muitos dos imortais (deuses) foram derrubados.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), काल/अनन्तरवाचक (temporal adverb)

• krodha-abhibhūtena: overpowered by anger
• krodha-abhibhūtena: Karta (कर्ता) (agent in instrumental with passive sense)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: krodha (प्रातिपदिक) + abhibhūta (भू धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (sg); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘overpowered’; तत्पुरुषः—‘क्रोधेन अभिभूतः’

• śaṅkareṇa: by Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṅkareṇa: Karta (कर्ता) (agent/instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (sg)

• mahātmanā: by the great-souled one
• mahātmanā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of ‘śaṅkareṇa’
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (sg); कर्मधारयः—‘महान् आत्मा यस्य/महात्मा’ (as epithet)

• tala-prahāraiḥ: with blows of the palm
• tala-prahāraiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tala (प्रातिपदिक) + prahāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (pl); तत्पुरुषः—‘तलेन प्रहाराः’

• amarāḥ: the immortals (gods)
• amarāḥ: Karma (कर्म) (patients in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (pl)

• bahavaḥ: many
• bahavaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of ‘amarāḥ’
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (pl)

• vinipātitāḥ: were struck down, felled
• vinipātitāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया) (passive predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + ni + pat (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom/1st), बहुवचन (pl); कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speakers

• Narratorial layer not specified in input (often Pulastya → Nārada in Vāmana Purāṇa)

Primary Deities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Amarāḥ (Devas)

Key Themes

• Shaivism
• Deva chastisement
• Krodha (divine wrath) as cosmic instrument

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Divine anger in Purāṇic narrative is not mere passion but a force restoring dharma and hierarchy. The devas’ fall warns against complacency and emphasizes accountability even for celestial authorities.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is episodic carita (narrative of divine action) rather than cosmological creation cycles. It supports the Purāṇic function of illustrating dharma through exemplary divine interventions.

What is the symbolic significance?

Palm-strikes (tala-prahāra) suggest effortless supremacy—Śiva does not require elaborate weapons to subdue. The motif dramatizes the relative status of devas versus the great deity who transcends the deva order.