Vamana Purana — Andhaka's Defeat & Redemption, Shloka 91

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

Devanagari script

समागम्याम्बिकापादौ ववन्दतुरुभावपि अन्धको ऽपि तदा गौरीं भक्तिनम्रो महामुने स्तुतिं चक्रे महापुण्यां पापघ्नीं श्रुतीसंमिताम्

Transliteration

samāgamyāmbikāpādau vavandaturubhāvapi andhako 'pi tadā gaurīṃ bhaktinamro mahāmune stutiṃ cakre mahāpuṇyāṃ pāpaghnīṃ śrutīsaṃmitām

Translation

Bhavānī: ‘She who is (bhavati)’, a principal name of Pārvatī/Durgā; Loka-dhātrī: ‘sustainer of the worlds’; Janitrī: ‘progenitrix, creatrix’; Skanda-mātā: ‘mother of Skanda (Kārttikeya)’; Mahādeva-priyā: ‘beloved of Śiva’; Dhāriṇī/Dharitrī: ‘bearer; Earth’; Syandinī: ‘flowing, streaming’ (evoking śakti as dynamic power); Cetanā: ‘consciousness’; Trailokya-mātā: ‘mother of the three worlds’; Deva-mātā: ‘mother of the gods’; Ijyā: ‘worthy of worship’; Smṛti: ‘memory; sacred recollection’; Dayā: ‘compassion’; Lajjā: ‘modesty’; Kānti: ‘radiance, splendor’; Asūyā: ‘non-envy; absence of malice’; Mati: ‘intelligence, discernment’; Sadā-pāvanī: ‘ever-purifying’; Daitya-sainya-kṣaya-karī: ‘destroyer of Daitya armies’; Mahā-māyā: ‘great cosmic power of manifestation’; Vaijayantī: ‘victorious; bearing the banner of victory’; Kālarātrī: ‘Night of Time’, a fierce aspect of the Goddess; Govinda-bhaginī: ‘sister of Govinda (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)’—a Purāṇic idiom for divine kinship and unity; Śaila-rāja-putrī: ‘daughter of the mountain-king (Himālaya)’; Sarasvatī/Vidyā: ‘knowledge, learning’; Tri-nayana: ‘the three-eyed one (Śiva)’; Mṛḍānī: ‘consort of Mṛḍa (Śiva), the gracious one’; Śaraṇyā/Śaraṇam: ‘refuge; worthy of refuge’.

Speakers

• Narrator (Pulastya’s narration) describing Nandī and Andhaka approaching Ambikā; the address ‘mahāmune’ indicates the listener-sage within the frame narrative (commonly Nārada).

Primary Deities

• Ambikā (Gaurī/Pārvatī)
• Nandī
• Śiva (implied)

Key Themes

• Devotional humility (bhakti-namratā)
• Power of stuti to purify (pāpaghnī)
• Veda-aligned praise (śruti-saṃmitā)
• Transformation of an antagonist through devotion

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "bhakti", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why is the hymn described as ‘śruti-saṃmitā’ (Veda-consistent)?

Purāṇas often legitimize hymns by stating they accord with Śruti, meaning the praise expresses orthodox theological principles—divine supremacy, purity, and cosmic order—without contradicting Vedic revelation.

What is the ritual/theological significance of ‘approaching the feet’ (pādau)?

Approaching and bowing at the deity’s feet is a standard marker of surrender and discipleship. It signifies relinquishing ego and seeking grace; in narrative terms it marks Andhaka’s pivot from transgression to repentance.

Does this verse itself name any sacred place relevant to Vāmana Purāṇa’s geography?

No. Despite the text’s broader geographical interests, this verse is purely devotional-narrative and contains no explicit toponyms (rivers, tīrthas, forests, or lakes).