Shloka 53
Adhyaya 2 — The Lineage of Garuda and the Birth of the Wise Birds: Kanka and Kandhara
शम्बराय पुरा क्षिप्तं वज्रं कुलिशपाणिना ।
हृदयेऽभिहतस्तेन तथापि न मृतोऽसुरः ॥
śambarāya purā kṣiptaṃ vajraṃ kuliśapāṇinā / hṛdaye 'bhihatastena tathāpi na mṛto 'suraḥ
పూర్వం వజ్రధారి (ఇంద్రుడు) శంబరునిపై వజ్రాన్ని విసిరెను. అది హృదయంలో తగిలినా ఆ అసురుడు అప్పుడే మరణించలేదు।
FAQs
Power (even divine might) is not absolute when opposed by adharma fortified through boons, austerities, or cosmic allowances; the narrative underscores that arrogance and harm can persist despite punishment, and thus a higher, restorative divine agency is sometimes required to re-balance dharma.
This verse belongs primarily to Vaṃśānucarita/Carita-style narrative (accounts of deeds and conflicts) rather than Sarga/Pratisarga. It functions as heroic-epic exemplum within the Purāṇic storytelling layer that supports dharma by illustrating cosmic order and its restoration.
Indra’s vajra symbolizes intellect, authority, and sanctioned force; Śambara’s survival even after a ‘heart-strike’ suggests that the root of asuric obstruction can remain untouched by ordinary power. Esoterically, it points to the need for a deeper transformative śakti—beyond conventional instruments—to dissolve entrenched negativity at its source.