Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 45

Portents at Bali’s Sacrifice and the Kośakāra’s Son: The Power of Past Karma

Devanagari script

नैशाचरिर्दिवाकीर्तिर्निशाकीर्तिः स्वपुत्रकः तयोश्चकार विप्रो ऽसौ व्रतबन्धक्रियां क्रमात्

Transliteration

naiśācarirdivākīrtirniśākīrtiḥ svaputrakaḥ tayoścakāra vipro 'sau vratabandhakriyāṃ kramāt

Translation

নৈশাচরি নামক সেই ব্রাহ্মণ তাঁর পুত্র দিবাকীর্তি ও নিশাকীর্তির জন্য ক্রমানুসারে বিধিপূর্বক ব্রতবন্ধ (দীক্ষা) ক্রিয়া সম্পন্ন করলেন।

Speakers

• Narrator to listener (frame not explicit in the excerpt).

Key Themes

• Saṃskāra (initiation/upanayana)
• Vratadharma (discipline through vows)
• Lineage continuity in a tirtha narrative

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is ‘vrata-bandha’ the same as upanayana?

In many Purāṇic usages, vrata-bandha denotes the formal binding of a boy to disciplined observances and study, overlapping with upanayana (sacred-thread initiation). The exact ritual details depend on local śrauta/smārta practice, but the narrative intent is clear: entry into regulated dharma and learning.

Why do the sons’ names shift from Niśākara/Divākara to Niśākīrti/Divākīrti?

Purāṇic transmission sometimes preserves variant name-forms across adjacent verses (recensional variation), or it may reflect a deliberate renaming at a saṃskāra—moving from cosmic identifiers (Moon/Sun) to virtue-identifiers (kīrti, ‘renown’).

What role does this saṃskāra play in a tirtha-mahātmya chapter?

Such rites establish the protagonists as dharmically qualified agents—fit to perform pilgrimages, sacrifices, donations, or to receive/teach the tirtha’s greatness. The geography-centered narrative often anchors later place-glorification in the lives of properly initiated brāhmaṇas.