Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 80

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

Devanagari script

तमाससाद च कपिं पर्यपृच्छत् तथाप्सराः किं बाला न त्वया दृष्टा कपे सत्यं वदस्व मां

Transliteration

tamāsasāda ca kapiṃ paryapṛcchat tathāpsarāḥ kiṃ bālā na tvayā dṛṣṭā kape satyaṃ vadasva māṃ

Translation

তখন সেই অপ্সরা বানরের কাছে গিয়ে জিজ্ঞাসা করল—“হে কপি, তুমি কি সেই বালিকাকে দেখনি? আমাকে সত্য বলো।”

Speakers

• Apsarā to Kapi (monkey)

Key Themes

• Search/inquiry motif in tīrtha-narratives
• Truthfulness (satya) as dharma
• Encounter with non-human witness (kapi)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the verse emphasize “satyaṃ vadasva” (speak the truth)?

In Purāṇic narrative ethics, satya (truthfulness) is a primary dharma; when a witness is questioned—especially in a sacred-geography setting—truth becomes the hinge for revealing the tīrtha’s hidden story or the missing person’s fate.

Who is the “bālā” (young girl) in this passage?

Within this chapter’s episode, she is identified in the next verse as Devavatī; this verse functions as the narrative prompt that leads to her identification and location.

Does this verse contain any explicit tīrtha or place-name?

No. The geographical anchoring appears in the subsequent verses (Kālindī tīrtha; Śrakaṇṭha-āyatana).