Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 30

Portents at Bali’s Sacrifice and the Kośakāra’s Son: The Power of Past Karma

Devanagari script

स प्राह न त्वया भद्रे भद्रमाचरितं त्विति महाज्ञानी द्विजेन्द्रो ऽसौ ततः शप्स्यति कोपितः

Transliteration

sa prāha na tvayā bhadre bhadramācaritaṃ tviti mahājñānī dvijendro 'sau tataḥ śapsyati kopitaḥ

Translation

He said: “O good woman, you have not done a good deed by this.” For that brāhmaṇa-lord is a great knower; therefore, once angered, he will curse (us).

Speakers

• Ghaṭodara speaking to his wife

Key Themes

• Brāhmaṇa-tejas (spiritual potency) and śāpa
• Karmic consequence of adharma
• Recognition of moral error within rākṣasa society
• Power of knowledge (jñāna) as protective force

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is implied by calling the brāhmaṇa “dvijendra” and “mahājñānī”?

These titles signal not merely social rank but spiritual efficacy: learning, tapas, and mantra-knowledge make his speech performative. In Purāṇic narrative, such a person’s curse is not a mere wish but a force that reshapes fate.

Is this verse a moral teaching or just plot development?

Both. Plot-wise it foreshadows the curse; doctrinally it teaches that adharma—especially against a dvija—produces immediate and disproportionate consequences because it violates a locus of dharma-protection.

How does this connect to the Vāmana Purāṇa’s broader concerns?

Even when not naming a tīrtha, the text often frames dharma through ‘sacred loci’—tīrthas, temples, and also brāhmaṇa-āśramas/homes. This episode reinforces the Purāṇic principle that sacred power is embedded in persons and places, and offenses against them generate binding results.