Vamana Purana — Sukeshi's Inquiry into Dharma, Shloka 33
Sukeshi’s Inquiry into Dharma: The Seven Dvipas and the Twenty-One Hells
गृह्याङ्गुलीभिश्च गजस्य पुच्छं कृत्वेह बन्धं भुजगेश्वरेण उत्पाट्य चिक्षेप विरोचनं हि सकुञ्जरं खे सनियन्तृवाहम्
gṛhyāṅgulībhiśca gajasya pucchaṃ kṛtveha bandhaṃ bhujageśvareṇa utpāṭya cikṣepa virocanaṃ hi sakuñjaraṃ khe saniyantṛvāham
వేళ్లతో ఏనుగు తోకను పట్టుకొని, నాగరాజునిచే ఇక్కడ బంధం చేసి, విరోచనుడు దానిని పెకలించి, నియంత-ఆరోహితో కూడిన ఆ ఏనుగును ఆకాశంలోకి విసిరివేశాడు।
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FAQs
The verse emphasizes the volatility of power when driven by force alone: physical might can overturn established order (the ‘rider/controller’), but such dominance is unstable and typically invites immediate counteraction in Purāṇic warfare cycles.
This is best classified under Vamśānucarita/Carita-type narrative material (accounts of lineages and their notable deeds), here focusing on a Daitya figure’s exploit within a broader mythic-historical sequence.
The elephant—often a symbol of royal/elemental power and stability—being seized by the tail and flung skyward signifies the inversion of order. The ‘binding by the serpent-lord’ evokes constriction/entanglement (nāga-bandha), a common motif for restraining power that is then violently ruptured.