Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 79

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

Devanagari script

पाशानि निगडादीनि छिन्नानि हि बलान्मया सा गृहीता च नृपतेर्भार्या रमितुमिच्छता

Transliteration

pāśāni nigaḍādīni chinnāni hi balānmayā sā gṛhītā ca nṛpaterbhāryā ramitumicchatā

Translation

“By my strength I broke the nooses, fetters, and the like. Then the king’s wife—desiring to sport (with me)—seized hold (of me).”

Speakers

• Narrator (the ‘I’ of the episode) recounting events to the listening sage(s) within the Purāṇic frame (exact frame not provided in prompt).

Key Themes

• Captivity and release
• Abuse of royal power
• Sexual coercion / adharma
• Strength and self-liberation
• Moral tension in courtly space

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "shringara", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the narrative force of listing ‘nooses and fetters’ (pāśa, nigaḍa)?

The paired terms are a conventional Purāṇic marker of unlawful confinement. Their breaking signals extraordinary vigor and also frames the subsequent act—being seized by the queen—as a new, subtler form of bondage (desire and coercion rather than iron).

Does ‘ramitum icchatā’ necessarily mean consensual romance?

In Purāṇic narrative diction, ram-/rati language can be neutral (‘to sport’) but in contexts of capture and compulsion it often implies coercive intent. Here it follows imprisonment and precedes armed encirclement, so the phrase reads as predatory desire rather than mutual courtship.

Is there any tīrtha or geographical cue embedded here?

No. This verse is purely court/household action; the Vāmana Purāṇa’s geographical register is not activated in these lines.