Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 120

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

Devanagari script

इत्येवमुक्त्वा वचनं बलभ्या अवतीर्य च समासताग्रतः शंभोर्गायन्त्यो गीतिकां शुभाम्

Transliteration

ityevamuktvā vacanaṃ balabhyā avatīrya ca samāsatāgrataḥ śaṃbhorgāyantyo gītikāṃ śubhām

Translation

Nachdem sie so gesprochen hatte, stieg Balabhyā herab und setzte sich vorn nieder; und sie sangen ein schönes Lied zum Lobpreis Śaṃbhus.

Speakers

• Narrator describing Balabhyā and the group of women (including Nandayantī and companions) performing song before Śaṃbhu.

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Śaṃbhu)

Key Themes

• Bhakti expressed as song (gīta/gītikā)
• Śiva-stuti
• Ritualized audience posture (sitting ‘in front’)
• Auspicious speech and performance

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "bhakti", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the ritual-literary significance of ‘avatīrya … agrataḥ’ (descending and sitting in front)?

It encodes a formal audience setting: the devotee approaches, takes a respectful position ‘before’ the deity (or revered person), and then performs praise. This is a common Purāṇic staging for stuti and boon-granting sequences.

Is ‘gītikā’ merely entertainment or a devotional act?

In Purāṇic usage, gīta is a mode of stuti—devotional praise with performative power. It is treated as an auspicious act that can please the deity and precipitate narrative outcomes (recognition, blessings, protection).

Does this verse indicate a specific tīrtha location?

Not by name in this śloka. The broader Adhyāya context (Saro-mahātmya) typically situates events within a sacred landscape, but this line itself contains no explicit toponym.