Vamana Purana — Gajendra's Deliverance, Shloka 18

Gajendra’s Deliverance and the Protective Power of Remembrance (Japa)

Devanagari script

पत्रैर्मरकतप्रख्यैः पुष्पैः काञ्चनसंनिभैः गुल्मैः कीचकवेणूनां समन्तात् परिवेष्टितम्

Transliteration

patrairmarakataprakhyaiḥ puṣpaiḥ kāñcanasaṃnibhaiḥ gulmaiḥ kīcakaveṇūnāṃ samantāt pariveṣṭitam

Translation

[That lake] was encircled on all sides by thickets of kīcaka-bamboos, with leaves shining like emeralds and blossoms resembling gold.

Speakers

• Narrator voice within the Purāṇic dialogue (exact interlocutors not provided in input)

Key Themes

• Sacred landscape description
• Tirtha/lake ecology imagery
• Auspicious natural symbolism (emerald-gold imagery)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the function of the emerald-and-gold imagery in Purāṇic tirtha descriptions?

Such imagery marks the site as divya (extraordinary) and auspicious, using gem-and-metal similes to signal sacred potency and to distinguish the tirtha’s landscape from ordinary terrain.

What is meant by kīcaka-veṇu here?

It denotes a type of bamboo; Purāṇic geography often identifies a tirtha by its characteristic vegetation, which also serves as a mnemonic marker for pilgrims.

Does this verse itself establish a specific named tirtha?

No. It describes a lake (saras) and its surrounding bamboo thickets, functioning as the setting for the subsequent episode; the proper name of the lake/tirtha is not present in this line.