Vamana Purana — Andhaka's Defeat & Redemption, Shloka 62

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

Devanagari script

त्वं ब्रह्म सृष्टिकृन्नाथस्त्वं विष्णुस्त्वं महेश्वरः त्वमिन्द्रस्त्वं वषट्कारो धर्मस्त्वं च सुरोत्तमः

Transliteration

tvaṃ brahma sṛṣṭikṛnnāthastvaṃ viṣṇustvaṃ maheśvaraḥ tvamindrastvaṃ vaṣaṭkāro dharmastvaṃ ca surottamaḥ

Translation

آپ ہی تخلیق کرنے والے ربّ برہما ہیں؛ آپ ہی وِشنو ہیں؛ آپ ہی مہیشور (شیو) ہیں۔ آپ ہی اِندر ہیں؛ آپ ہی یَجْیَ کے ‘وَشَٹ’کار ہیں؛ آپ ہی دھرم ہیں؛ اور آپ ہی دیوتاؤں میں سب سے برتر ہیں۔

Speakers

• Unnamed devotee/praiser addressing the Supreme Lord (Īśvara) in a hymn; interlocutors not specified in the given excerpt.

Primary Deities

• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Indra

Key Themes

• Shaiva–Vaishnava Unity
• Non-dual/henotheistic identification of deities
• Yajña and Vedic ritual symbolism
• Dharma as cosmic principle

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the verse identify the praised deity as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara simultaneously?

This is a classic Purāṇic stuti strategy: the addressed Lord is presented as the inner essence (antarātman) of all deities and functions—creation, preservation, and dissolution—thereby asserting a unified supreme reality while still honoring the traditional pantheon.

What is the significance of calling the deity ‘vaṣaṭ-kāra’?

‘Vaṣaṭ’ is the ritual utterance that consummates an oblation in Vedic yajña. By identifying the Lord with the vaṣaṭ-call, the hymn claims that the deity is not only the recipient of sacrifice but also the very ritual power and speech-act through which offerings become effective.

How does ‘Dharma’ function here—as a god or as a principle?

Purāṇas often treat Dharma both as a personified deity and as the impersonal moral-cosmic order. In this verse, the identification suggests both: the Lord is the source of righteous order and also the divine embodiment that sustains it.