Vamana Purana — Rudra's Wrath & Kalarupa, Shloka 54

Rudra’s Wrath at Daksha’s Sacrifice and the Iconography of Kālarūpa through the Zodiac

Devanagari script

तुलापाणिश्च पुरुषो वीथ्यापणविचारकः नगराध्वानशालासु वसते तत्र नारद

Transliteration

tulāpāṇiśca puruṣo vīthyāpaṇavicārakaḥ nagarādhvānaśālāsu vasate tatra nārada

Translation

一人遂成手持衡秤之人，司察街衢与市肆之事。彼居于城邑、通衢大道及路旁旅舍；如是，纳罗陀啊。

Word by Word

• तुला-पाणिः: the one with a balance in hand
• तुला-पाणिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला (प्रातिपदिक) + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तुलायाः पाणिः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• पुरुषः: a man/person
• पुरुषः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• वीथी-आपण-विचारकः: an inspector/examiner of street-markets
• वीथी-आपण-विचारकः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीथी (प्रातिपदिक) + आपण (प्रातिपदिक) + विचारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (वीथ्यां स्थितानां आपणानां विचारकः)

• नगर-अध्वान-शालासु: in the city road-resthouses/inns
• नगर-अध्वान-शालासु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगर (प्रातिपदिक) + अध्वान (प्रातिपदिक) + शाला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (शाला), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः

• वसते: dwells/lives
• वसते: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• नारद: O Nārada
• नारद: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada (typical frame for Vāmana Purāṇa teachings; inferred from guideline)

Key Themes

• Karma and rebirth
• Ethics of livelihood
• Social consequences of sin/merit

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "karuna", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse presents rebirth as shaped by prior conduct: one’s tendencies and actions can lead to constrained, marginal, or restless modes of life. It warns that worldly dealings—especially in trade and public transactions—carry ethical weight and karmic consequence.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This aligns most closely with Dharma/karma instruction embedded within Purāṇic narration rather than the five classic lakṣaṇas strictly; by pancalakṣaṇa mapping it is adjacent to 'vṛtti/dharma' material and may appear within genealogical/narrative frames but functions as karmavipāka (didactic ethics).

What is the symbolic significance?

The 'scale in hand' symbolizes judgment, exchange, and measurement—suggesting that misuse of fairness/weights (literal or moral) binds one to a life defined by constant calculating and public scrutiny, lacking inner freedom.