Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 117

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

Devanagari script

यो ऽसौ युवा नीलघनप्रकाशः संदृश्यते दीर्घभुजः सूरूपः स एव नूनं नरदेवसूनुर्वृतो मया पूर्वतरं पतिर्यः

Transliteration

yo 'sau yuvā nīlaghanaprakāśaḥ saṃdṛśyate dīrghabhujaḥ sūrūpaḥ sa eva nūnaṃ naradevasūnurvṛto mayā pūrvataraṃ patiryaḥ

Translation

ذلك الشابّ الذي يُرى هناك—داكنٌ كغمام المطر، طويلُ الذراعين، حسنُ الطلعة—لا ريب أنّه ابنُ الملك، وهو بعينه الذي اخترتُه من قبلُ زوجًا لي.

Speakers

• Citrāṅgadā speaking to her friend (continuation of the speech introduced in 116)

Key Themes

• Recognition (pratyabhijñā)
• Svayaṃvara/choice of husband
• Royal lineage (nara-deva-sūnu)
• Memory and destiny within tīrtha space

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Does ‘nīlaghana-prakāśa’ imply a divine identity (e.g., Viṣṇu)?

Not necessarily. While such imagery is famously used for Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa, Purāṇic kāvya-style also applies it to exemplary human heroes. In this verse the identification is explicitly social: ‘nara-deva-sūnu’—the king’s son.

What does ‘vṛto mayā pūrvataraṃ patiḥ’ indicate about Citrāṅgadā’s past?

It indicates a prior formal choice of spouse—often the idiom of svayaṃvara (bride’s selection). The verse frames the encounter as recognition of a previously chosen husband, setting up a backstory or reunion motif.

Why place a recognition of a royal husband within a tīrtha-bathing scene?

Tīrthas in the Vāmana Purāṇa frequently serve as narrative junctions: sacred geography becomes the stage where past karmic ties, vows, and social identities re-emerge. The sanctified setting legitimizes the unfolding reunion as dharmically meaningful rather than accidental.