Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 92

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

Devanagari script

न कश्चित्तात केनापि बध्यते हन्यते ऽपि वा वधबन्धौ पूर्वकर्मवश्यौ नृपतिनन्दन

Transliteration

na kaścittāta kenāpi badhyate hanyate 'pi vā vadhabandhau pūrvakarmavaśyau nṛpatinandana

Translation

“O dear one, no one is bound or even slain by anyone else. Both ‘killing’ and ‘binding’ are under the control of one’s former deeds (past karma), O son of a king.”

Speakers

• Śakuni-ṛṣi speaking to a royal youth (nṛpati-nandana) within the narrative frame

Key Themes

• Karma doctrine (pūrva-karma)
• Moral causality vs. apparent agency
• Consolation/Instruction to a prince
• Determinism and responsibility in Itihasa-style narration

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Does the verse deny human agency by saying no one is bound or killed by another?

It rhetorically shifts the ultimate causality to karma-phala: the immediate agent may act, but the fruition (binding/slaying) is said to occur because prior deeds have matured. This is a common Purāṇic way to interpret suffering without denying ethical accountability.

Why are ‘binding’ and ‘killing’ paired (vadhabandhau)?

The pair covers two typical outcomes in royal/war contexts—capture and death—indicating that whether one is imprisoned or slain, the deeper cause is the ripening of past actions.

Who is the ‘nṛpati-nandana’ here?

The verse addresses a princely figure within the embedded story. Even without the surrounding verses, the honorific signals a didactic moment aimed at royal dharma: rulers must act, yet understand the karmic web behind outcomes.