Vamana Purana — Kali's Complaint to Brahma (Part 2), Shloka 22

Kali’s Complaint to Brahma and the Arrival of Śrī (Jayaśrī) in Bali’s Reign

Devanagari script

नीलवृषसमारूढा त्रिगुणा सा प्रकीर्तिता या सा श्वेताम्भरा श्वेता सत्त्वाढ्या कुञ्जरस्थिता

Transliteration

nīlavṛṣasamārūḍhā triguṇā sā prakīrtitā yā sā śvetāmbharā śvetā sattvāḍhyā kuñjarasthitā

Translation

Mounted upon a blue bull, she is proclaimed as the one characterized by the three guṇas. That one who is clad in white, white in hue, rich in sattva, is stationed upon an elephant.

Speakers

• Unspecified narrator voice within Adhyaya 49 to the immediate listener in the frame narrative

Primary Deities

• Guṇa-personified Devī/Śakti (triguṇa/prakṛti)
• Guṇa-personified Devī/Śakti (sattva aspect)

Key Themes

• Triguṇa doctrine
• Sattva symbolism (whiteness, elephant)
• Vehicle symbolism (bull, elephant) in Purāṇic iconography

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

How can she be called “triguṇā” and then described as “sattvāḍhyā”?

Purāṇic exposition often distinguishes between (a) prakṛti as the totality of the three guṇas (triguṇā) and (b) a particular manifestation where one guṇa predominates (here, sattva-abundance). The same cosmic principle can be described at both levels.

What is the doctrinal meaning of white garments and the elephant for sattva?

White (śveta) conventionally signals purity, clarity, and illumination—core sattvic traits. The elephant (kuñjara) can signify steadiness, strength under control, and dignified stability, aligning with sattva’s balanced, harmonizing function.

Does the blue bull imply a Shaiva reference (bull as Nandin)?

The bull is strongly Shaiva-coded in broader tradition, but this verse does not name Śiva or Nandin. Here it functions primarily as a symbolic vehicle within a guṇa-allegory; any Shaiva resonance would be secondary and interpretive rather than explicit.