Vamana Purana — Sati's Death & Virabhadra, Shloka 42

Sati’s Death and the Assault on Daksha’s Sacrifice: Virabhadra versus the Devas

Devanagari script

समानम्य ततः शार्ङ्ग शरानग्निशिखोपमान् मुमोच वीरभद्राय कायावरणदारणान्

Transliteration

samānamya tataḥ śārṅga śarānagniśikhopamān mumoca vīrabhadrāya kāyāvaraṇadāraṇān

Translation

随后，他执起并张开娑尔恩伽弓（Śārṅga），向毗罗跋陀罗射出如火舌般的箭矢——能撕裂身躯护覆（甲胄与护持）的利箭。

Word by Word

• sam-ānamya: having bent/drawn
• sam-ānamya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-nam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); ‘having bent/drawn (down/back)’

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषणम्

• śārṅgam: Śārṅga (the bow)
• śārṅgam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śārṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचनम्; धनुर्नाम (name of Viṣṇu’s bow)

• śarān: arrows
• śarān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (accusative), बहुवचनम्

• agni-śikhā-upamān: like tongues/flames of fire
• agni-śikhā-upamān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + śikhā (प्रातिपदिक) + upama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (accusative), बहुवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (उपमान-सम्बन्ध): ‘अग्निशिखायाः उपमाः’ = comparable to flames of fire

• mumoca: released/shot
• mumoca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muñc (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्

• vīrabhadrāya: for/at Vīrabhadra
• vīrabhadrāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīrabhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः (dative/4th), एकवचनम्

• kāya-āvaraṇa-dāraṇān: that tear through bodily coverings/armor
• kāya-āvaraṇa-dāraṇān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāya (प्रातिपदिक) + āvaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + dāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (accusative), बहुवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः: ‘कायस्य आवरणं दारयन्ति’ (body-covering/panoply-tearing)

Speakers

• Narratorial voice (action description); Viṣṇu acts against Vīrabhadra

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Vīrabhadra (Śiva’s fierce emanation/commander)

Key Themes

• Dharma Protection
• Divine Combat
• Sectarian Harmony (tension managed within one Purāṇa)
• Power of Divine Weapons

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Protection of the righteous may require decisive action. The verse frames divine force as dharma-serving—used to remove obstruction and restore safety for sages and sacrificial order.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is episodic narrative (carita) describing divine deeds, aligning with the Purāṇic function of illustrating dharma through exemplary events rather than sarga/pratisarga cosmology.

What is the symbolic significance?

Fire-like arrows that ‘pierce coverings’ suggest the irresistible clarity of divine will cutting through protective illusions or arrogance. The targeting of Vīrabhadra can be read, in a non-sectarian lens, as a dramatic device to show the supremacy of dharma and the coordinated cosmic roles of Hari and Hara within the Purāṇa’s integrative theology.