Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 119

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

Devanagari script

ततो ऽब्रवीदथो हृष्टा नन्दयन्ती सखीजनम् एषो ऽपरो ऽस्यैव सुतो जावालिर्नात्र संशयः

Transliteration

tato 'bravīdatho hṛṣṭā nandayantī sakhījanam eṣo 'paro 'syaiva suto jāvālirnātra saṃśayaḥ

Translation

Darauf sprach Nandayantī, voller Freude, zu ihrem Kreis von Gefährtinnen: „Dieser andere ist wahrlich sein Sohn — Jāvāli; daran besteht kein Zweifel.“

Speakers

• Nandayantī addressing her sakhīs (female companions).

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Śaṃbhu)

Key Themes

• Recognition and identification in Purāṇic narrative
• Lineage/sonship (putra)
• Community of women (sakhī-saṅga) as narrative witnesses

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is Nandayantī in this passage’s narrative function?

Within this scene she functions as an authoritative recognizer—someone who can identify persons and relationships (here, sonship). Purāṇic narratives often use such a figure to confirm identity publicly before a group of witnesses.

Why is the phrase ‘nātra saṃśayaḥ’ repeated in recognition contexts?

It is a conventional narrative seal that closes uncertainty: the text signals that the identification is definitive and should be accepted as settled for subsequent plot developments.

Is ‘Jāvāli’ the same as the skeptical Jāvāli known from the Rāmāyaṇa?

Not necessarily. ‘Jāvāli’ can be a recurring name across traditions. Without additional contextual markers (lineage, locale, doctrinal role), this verse alone does not justify equating the two figures.