Vamana Purana — Jabali on the Banyan Tree, Shloka 20
Jabali Bound on the Banyan Tree and Nandayanti’s Appeal at Sri-Kantha on the Yamuna
आसीद् दण्डो नाम नृपः प्रभूतबलवाहनः स च वव्रे महातेजाः पौरोहित्याय भार्गवम्
āsīd daṇḍo nāma nṛpaḥ prabhūtabalavāhanaḥ sa ca vavre mahātejāḥ paurohityāya bhārgavam
“There was a king named Daṇḍa, possessed of abundant strength and forces. That mighty one chose a Bhārgava as his royal priest (purohita).”
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FAQs
It signals legitimacy through Vedic-ritual authority: the king’s sovereignty is ideally guided by a learned priest who maintains rites, auspicious timing, and ethical counsel. The later downfall (implied by the prior verse) becomes sharper: even with proper institutional support, the king’s personal adharma can undo him.
It suggests a fully equipped kingship—troops (bala) and logistical capacity (vāhana: mounts, chariots, conveyances). The text underscores that material power and infrastructure do not prevent moral collapse.
Purāṇas often set the dharmic stage first (king + priestly guidance) to show that the failure is not due to ignorance alone but to willful surrender to kāma—making the exemplum more forceful for the Daitya addressee.