Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 45

Shukra’s Curse on King Danda and Andhaka’s Challenge to Shiva

Devanagari script

तेनापि वृक्षस्तरसा पादाक्रान्तस्त्वभज्यत ततोस्य विपुलां वृक्षं प्राक्षिपत् सागराम्भसि सह तेनैव वृक्षेण पतितास्म्यहमाकुला

Transliteration

tenāpi vṛkṣastarasā pādākrāntastvabhajyata tatosya vipulāṃ vṛkṣaṃ prākṣipat sāgarāmbhasi saha tenaiva vṛkṣeṇa patitāsmyahamākulā

Translation

By him, that tree—trampled with force underfoot—was broken. Then he hurled that huge tree into the waters of the ocean; and together with that very tree I fell, distressed and confused.

Speakers

• Same first-person narrator continuing the account to the chapter’s interlocutor(s) (not provided in prompt).

Key Themes

• Violence and displacement
• Ocean as liminal sacred geography
• Etiological potential (how a place-event becomes remembered)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘sāgarāmbhasi’ contribute to the geography of the passage?

It relocates the action from a mountain setting to the ocean, marking a transition to a liminal zone (shore/sea) that Purāṇas often use to connect inland tīrthas with broader cosmographic space.

Is the ‘tree thrown into the ocean’ a symbolic motif?

Yes. A tree uprooted/broken and cast into water can function as a narrative device for forced crossing, exile, or the beginning of a new sacred association (e.g., a drift-landing that later becomes a named spot). The verse itself, however, stays at the level of event-description.

How should ‘ākulā’ be read here—fear, confusion, or physical turmoil?

Ākulā can cover all three: mental agitation (fear/confusion) and bodily disarray from falling. In narrative māhātmyas it often signals a crisis point before rescue, revelation, or the establishment of a vow/tīrtha.