Vamana Purana — Chanda & Munda Discover Katyayani, Shloka 8
Chanda and Munda Discover Katyayani; Mahishasura’s Proposal and the Vishnu-Panjara Protection
सा रोमराजी सुतरां हि तस्या विराजते पीजकुचावलग्ना आरोहणे त्वद्भयकातरस्य स्वेदप्रवाहो ऽटसुर मन्मथस्य
sā romarājī sutarāṃ hi tasyā virājate pījakucāvalagnā ārohaṇe tvadbhayakātarasya svedapravāho 'ṭasura manmathasya
That line of hair of hers shines all the more, clinging to the full breasts; (it is) like the flow of sweat of Manmatha, O demon, who—frightened by you—is anxious as he climbs (toward her).
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FAQs
The passage dramatizes kāma as psychologically vulnerable—desire is powerful yet easily unsettled by fear and authority—hinting that passion is not sovereign but conditioned by circumstance and restraint.
As with the prior verse, it is descriptive poetry within an ākhyāna frame, not a standalone pancalakṣaṇa unit; its relevance is contextual, supporting characterization or scene-setting.
By likening the hair-line to Manmatha’s ‘sweat-stream’ during ascent, the verse symbolically fuses physical beauty with the inner agitation of desire—beauty becomes the very ‘trace’ of kāma’s movement.