Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 94
Shukra’s Curse on King Danda and Andhaka’s Challenge to Shiva
इत्येवमुक्तो मुनिना बाले स कपिकुञ्जरः कृताञ्जलिपुटो भूत्वा प्रणिपत्येदमब्रवीत्/ ममाज्ञा दीयतां ब्रह्मन् शाधि किं करवाण्यहम्
ityevamukto muninā bāle sa kapikuñjaraḥ kṛtāñjalipuṭo bhūtvā praṇipatyedamabravīt/ mamājñā dīyatāṃ brahman śādhi kiṃ karavāṇyaham
Thus addressed by the sage, the young lordly monkey, forming his hands into a reverent añjali, bowed down and said: “Let your command be given to me, O Brahman; instruct me—what shall I do?”
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FAQs
It is an honorific compound meaning ‘an elephant among monkeys,’ i.e., the foremost or most powerful of his kind—signaling capability and heroic stature, not merely species.
These gestures encode dharma: proper approach to a ṛṣi involves humility, self-surrender, and readiness to receive instruction. The verse frames service as disciplined obedience rather than impulsive action.
It expresses voluntary submission to righteous authority. In Purāṇic ethics, aligning one’s strength with a sage’s directive converts raw power into dharmic action, often leading to auspicious outcomes in the ensuing episode.