Vamana Purana — Ritadhvaja Aids Galava, Shloka 6
Ritadhvaja’s Aid to Galava and Andhaka’s Infatuation with Gauri
न चेष्यतऽसौ तपसो व्ययं हि शक्तो ऽपि कर्त्तु त्वथ भस्मसात् तम् आकाशमीक्ष्याथ स दीर्घमुष्णं मुमोच निःश्वासमनुत्तमं हि
na ceṣyata'sau tapaso vyayaṃ hi śakto 'pi karttu tvatha bhasmasāt tam ākāśamīkṣyātha sa dīrghamuṣṇaṃ mumoca niḥśvāsamanuttamaṃ hi
他虽有能力将其焚为灰烬，却并未如此行事，因为那将耗损其苦行之力。于是他仰观虚空，吐出一口悠长、炽热、无与伦比的气息。
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "raudra", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
In Purāṇic idiom, tapas is a stored potency (tejas) that can be ‘spent’ for effects. The verse frames restraint as a deliberate conservation of ascetic capital—choosing a less ‘costly’ method than immediate incineration.
Niḥśvāsa is often portrayed as a subtle extension of inner tejas. A heated breath can function like a weapon, a summons, or a catalyst for a miraculous event (here, it sets up the subsequent descent from the sky).
Not directly. The diction ‘tapas’ and ‘maharṣi’ style restraint points more to an ascetic agent; later verses in the sequence must be used to identify whether the actor is a sage, a deity, or a deity acting through ascetic modality.