Vamana Purana — Chanda & Munda Discover Katyayani, Shloka 17
Chanda and Munda Discover Katyayani; Mahishasura’s Proposal and the Vishnu-Panjara Protection
तद्भूतले रत्नमनुत्तमं स्थितं स्वर्गं परित्यज्य महासुरेन्द्र गत्वात्थ विन्ध्यं स्वयमेव पश्य कुरुष्व यत् ते ऽभिमतं क्षमं च // वम्प्_20.16 श्रुत्वैव ताभ्यां महिषासुरस्तु देव्याः प्रवृत्तिं कमनीयरूपाम् चक्रे मतिं नात्र विचारमस्ति इत्येवमुक्त्वा महिषो ऽपि नास्ति
tadbhūtale ratnamanuttamaṃ sthitaṃ svargaṃ parityajya mahāsurendra gatvāttha vindhyaṃ svayameva paśya kuruṣva yat te 'bhimataṃ kṣamaṃ ca // VamP_20.16 śrutvaiva tābhyāṃ mahiṣāsurastu devyāḥ pravṛttiṃ kamanīyarūpām cakre matiṃ nātra vicāramasti ityevamuktvā mahiṣo 'pi nāsti
„Auf der Erdoberfläche steht ein unvergleichliches Juwel; selbst den Himmel verlassend, o großer Herr der Asuras, geh zum Vindhya, sieh es mit eigenen Augen und tue, was dir genehm und angemessen ist.“ Als Mahiṣāsura dies von jenen beiden hörte, erfuhr er vom Wirken der Göttin und von ihrer anmutigen Gestalt; er fasste den Entschluss: „Hier bedarf es keiner Überlegung.“ So sprechend brach der Büffel-Asura auf und wartete nicht länger.
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FAQs
Desire for a ‘rare jewel’ (whether literal treasure or the alluring Devī) drives the asura to abandon even svarga; the verse highlights how unchecked impulse overrides discernment (vicāra), leading to rash action and eventual downfall.
This belongs to Vaṃśānucarita/Carita-type narrative material (accounts of beings and their deeds), specifically an asura-episode embedded in the Purāṇic storyline rather than cosmogenesis (sarga/pratisarga).
The ‘ratna on earth’ juxtaposed with ‘abandoning heaven’ signals the power of earthly fascination (rūpa/viṣaya) to eclipse celestial merit; Vindhya functions as a liminal, wild geography where asuric ambition confronts Devī’s śakti.