Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 98

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

Devanagari script

न च सो ऽस्ति पुमान् कश्चिद् यचो ह्युन्मोचयितुं क्षमः स ऋषेर्वाक्यमाकर्ण्य कपिर्जाबालिनो जटाः

Transliteration

na ca so 'sti pumān kaścid yaco hyunmocayituṃ kṣamaḥ sa ṛṣervākyamākarṇya kapirjābālino jaṭāḥ

Translation

এমন কোনো মানুষ নেই যে এগুলো আলগা করতে সক্ষম, কারণ এগুলো আলগা করার যোগ্য নয়। ঋষির বাক্য শুনে কপি জাবালির জটাগুলো খুলতে উদ্যোগী হলো।

Speakers

• Narrator voice (Purāṇic narrator) describing events; the sage’s statement is reported; the monkey acts in response.

Key Themes

• Power of tapas symbolized by jaṭā
• Service to sages (ṛṣi-sevā)
• Miraculous capability beyond ordinary humans
• Tīrtha-cycle narrative framing

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are Jābāli’s jaṭā described as impossible for any man to loosen?

In Purāṇic idiom, an ascetic’s jaṭā are not merely hair but a sign of accumulated tapas. Declaring them ‘unloosenable’ elevates the sage’s spiritual potency and sets up a wonder: only an extraordinary agent (here, the kapi) can accomplish what ordinary humans cannot.

Who is the ‘kapi’ here—an ordinary monkey or a mythic figure?

The term kapi can denote an actual monkey, but in Purāṇic storytelling it often signals a vanara-like heroic being or a divinely-enabled creature. The narrative function is to introduce a non-human helper whose capacity surpasses human limitation.

Does this verse itself contain geographical data typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

Not directly. The verse is part of a larger chapter situated in a tīrtha-mahātmya cycle; the explicit place-names and hydrological markers typically appear in surrounding verses rather than in this single śloka.