Vamana Purana — Narada Questions Pulastya, Shloka 23
Narada Questions Pulastya: The Vamana Purana Begins and Satī’s Monsoon Lament
काले सुरौद्रे ननु ते ब्रवीमि गृहं कुरुष्वात्र महाचजलोत्तमे सुनिर्वृता येन भवामि शंभो
kāle suraudre nanu te bravīmi gṛhaṃ kuruṣvātra mahācajalottame sunirvṛtā yena bhavāmi śaṃbho
In dieser Zeit glühender Hitze sage ich dir: Errichte hier ein Haus, auf diesem vortrefflichen großen Berg, o Śambhu, damit ich in Behagen und Zufriedenheit wohnen kann.
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FAQs
The request represents legitimate human (and divine-household) needs—shelter, stability, and comfort—within dharma. The narrative’s ethical tension arises because Śiva embodies radical non-possession, prompting reflection on how desire is negotiated even within sanctioned relationships.
It functions as ākhyāna (narrative dialogue) used for teaching dharmic dispositions. It is not genealogical or cosmological; it supports character-based instruction (ācāra/vrata sensibility) through a domestic-ascetic contrast.
‘House’ symbolizes settled identity and possession; the ‘mountain’ symbolizes steadfastness and austerity. Umā’s appeal for a dwelling on the mountain dramatizes the attempt to harmonize gṛhastha stability with ascetic height—an early literary space for sectarian and lifestyle synthesis around Śiva.