Vamana Purana — Rudra's Wrath & Kalarupa, Shloka 55

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

Devanagari script

श्वभ्रवल्मीकसंचारी वृश्चिको वृश्चिकाकृतिः विषगोमयकीटादिपाषाणादिषु संस्थितः

Transliteration

śvabhravalmīkasaṃcārī vṛściko vṛścikākṛtiḥ viṣagomayakīṭādipāṣāṇādiṣu saṃsthitaḥ

Translation

彼复化为蝎，形如蝎，游行于坑穴与蚁冢之间；又栖止于毒物、粪秽、诸虫等类之中，并在石间及如是之处。

Word by Word

• श्वभ्र-वल्मीक-संचारी: moving about in pits and anthills
• श्वभ्र-वल्मीक-संचारी: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्वभ्र (प्रातिपदिक) + वल्मीक (प्रातिपदिक) + संचारी (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; संचारी = चर् (धातु) + णिनि/इन्-प्रत्यय (habitual agent), ‘going about’; श्वभ्र-वल्मीकयोः द्वन्द्वः, ततः तत्पुरुष-सम्बन्धः

• वृश्चिकः: a scorpion
• वृश्चिकः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृश्चिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• वृश्चिका-आकृतिः: having the form of a scorpion
• वृश्चिका-आकृतिः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृश्चिका (प्रातिपदिक) + आकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (आकृति), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वृश्चिकायाः आकृतिः)

• विष-गोमय-कीट-आदि-पाषाण-आदिषु: among poison, cow-dung, insects, stones, etc.
• विष-गोमय-कीट-आदि-पाषाण-आदिषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष (प्रातिपदिक) + गोमय (प्रातिपदिक) + कीट (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + पाषाण (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (आदि-समूहः), सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; समाहार/समुच्चयार्थक-समासः (…आदि-समूहेषु)

• संस्थितः: situated/lying
• संस्थितः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada (inferred narrative frame)

Key Themes

• Karma and rebirth
• Low births (tiryak/kīṭa-yoni)
• Consequences of harmful actions (implied by 'poison' imagery)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Purāṇic ethics frequently portray cruelty, deceit, or harmful intent as leading to births marked by fear, concealment, and toxicity. The verse underscores that inner venom (malice) manifests as outer conditions (poisonous, hidden habitats).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Didactic karma-phala material: not a core pancalakṣaṇa category like sarga/pratisarga, but commonly embedded within Purāṇas as dharma-śikṣā (moral instruction) supporting righteous conduct.

What is the symbolic significance?

The scorpion is a symbol of reactive violence and concealed harm. Its dwelling in pits/anthills and among filth/stones indicates a consciousness trapped in darkness and defensiveness—an image of moral degradation and its experiential environment.