Vamana Purana — Kurukshetra & Prithudaka Tirtha, Shloka 34

Kurukshetra, Pṛthūdaka Tīrtha, and the Marriage of Saṃvaraṇa with Tapatī

Devanagari script

दर्शनादेव स नृपः काममार्गणपीडितः जातः सा च तमीक्ष्यैव कामबाणातुराभवत्

Transliteration

darśanādeva sa nṛpaḥ kāmamārgaṇapīḍitaḥ jātaḥ sā ca tamīkṣyaiva kāmabāṇāturābhavat

Translation

وبمجرد النظر أصيب ذلك الملك بسهام كاما، فاعتراه الألم؛ وهي أيضًا، ما إن رمقته حتى اضطربت بسهام الشهوة.

Word by Word

• darśanāt: from (that) sight
• darśanāt: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphasis)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• nṛpaḥ: the king
• nṛpaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• kāma-mārgaṇa-pīḍitaḥ: tormented by Love's arrows
• kāma-mārgaṇa-pīḍitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa of Karta (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + mārgaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + pīḍ (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (कामस्य मार्गणैः पीडितः / काममार्गणपीडितः); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (nṛpaḥ)

• jātaḥ: became
• jātaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) used predicatively; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (अभूत्/बभूव-अर्थे)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• īkṣya: having seen
• īkṣya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: īkṣ (धातु) + lyap (कृत्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): ‘having seen’

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphasis)

• kāma-bāṇa-āturā: distressed by Love's arrows
• kāma-bāṇa-āturā: Viśeṣaṇa of Karta (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + bāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ātura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (कामस्य बाणैः आतुरा); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (sā)

• abhavat: became; was
• abhavat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect, past), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speakers

• Narrative voice within the Purāṇic frame (often Pulastya → Nārada
• not explicit here)

Primary Deities

• Kāma (as personified desire)

Key Themes

• Kāma and the psychology of attachment
• Mutual attraction
• Ethics of self-control (implicit)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse dramatizes the speed with which desire can arise from sensory contact; dharma literature repeatedly recommends mastering the senses (indriya-nigraha) so that kingship and personal conduct are not driven by impulse.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

It functions as Vamśānucarita-style episode content—an interpersonal turning point within a broader dynastic or exemplary narrative.

What is the symbolic significance?

Kāma’s ‘arrows’ symbolize involuntary mental agitation (vṛtti-kṣobha) caused by saṃskāras and sense contact. The mutuality (‘she too’) highlights desire as a reciprocal binding force (bandhana) that propels plot and karma.