Vamana Purana — Jabali on the Banyan Tree, Shloka 33

Jabali Bound on the Banyan Tree and Nandayanti’s Appeal at Sri-Kantha on the Yamuna

Devanagari script

सो ऽब्रोवीद् भीरु मां शुक्रः कालेन परिधक्ष्यति कामाग्निर्निर्दहति मामद्यैव तनुमध्यमे

Transliteration

so 'brovīd bhīru māṃ śukraḥ kālena paridhakṣyati kāmāgnirnirdahati māmadyaiva tanumadhyame

Translation

He said: “O timid one, Śukra will, in due course, burn me all around; the fire of desire is consuming me—today itself—within the middle of my body.”

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; demonstrative pronoun

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd Person (प्रथम), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhīru: O timid one
• bhīru: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhīru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; pronoun

• śukraḥ: Śukra
• śukraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śukra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; proper name

• kālena: in time / by time
• kālena: Karaṇa (करण) / adverbial instrument
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• paridhakṣyati: will burn up
• paridhakṣyati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + dah (धातु)
• Form: Future (लृट्), 3rd Person (प्रथम), Singular (एकवचन); parasmaipada

• kāma-agniḥ: the fire of desire
• kāma-agniḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (‘fire of desire’)

• nirdahati: burns
• nirdahati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir + dah (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd Person (प्रथम), Singular (एकवचन); parasmaipada

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; pronoun

• adya: today
• adya: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (कालवाचक-अव्यय)

• eva: indeed / just
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphasis

• tanu-madhyame: in the waist / mid-body
• tanu-madhyame: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanu (प्रातिपदिक) + madhyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; tatpuruṣa ‘in the middle of the body/waist’

Speakers

• Unnamed male speaker (contextually Daṇḍa in this episode) addressing a woman described as bhīru (timid).

Primary Deities

• Śukra (Uśanas)

Key Themes

• Kāma (desire) as consuming fire
• Time (kāla) as inevitable force
• Asura courtly/household tension
• Guru’s authority and potential curse/punishment

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Śukra said to ‘burn’ someone—does it imply a literal fire?

In Purāṇic idiom, ‘burning’ often denotes punitive power—especially a guru’s curse, ascetic heat (tapas), or the consuming effect of time (kāla). Here it signals fear of Śukra’s retribution/discipline rather than a physical conflagration.

What is meant by ‘kāmāgni’ (fire of desire) in this narrative setting?

Kāmāgni is a conventional metaphor for erotic passion experienced as heat that overwhelms restraint. In courtly or domestic episodes, it marks urgency and loss of composure, motivating immediate action.

Does this verse contribute to the Vāmana Purāṇa’s geographical emphasis?

Not directly. This śloka is narrative and psychological; it contains no toponyms or tīrtha references, unlike the Purāṇa’s many māhātmya sections.