Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Counsel to Andhaka, Shloka 16

Shukra’s Curse on King Danda and Prahlada’s Counsel to Andhaka on Dharma

Devanagari script

श्पत्वेत्थं भगवान् शुक्रो दण्डमिक्ष्वाकुनन्दनम् जगाम शिष्यसहितः पातालं दानवालयम्

Transliteration

śpatvetthaṃ bhagavān śukro daṇḍamikṣvākunandanam jagāma śiṣyasahitaḥ pātālaṃ dānavālayam

Translation

So verließ der ehrwürdige Śukra, nachdem er Daṇḍa, die Zierde des Ikṣvāku-Geschlechts, verflucht hatte, zusammen mit seinen Schülern Pātāla, die Wohnstatt der Dānavas, aufsuchend.

Speakers

• Narrator describing Śukra’s action after the curse.

Primary Deities

• Śukra (Śukrācārya)

Key Themes

• Cosmic geography (netherworld realms)
• Daitya/Dānava social world
• Authority of the guru (ācārya) and discipleship
• Royal lineage (Ikṣvāku) in Purāṇic narrative

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the significance of mentioning Pātāla here?

Pātāla functions as a key node in Purāṇic sacred-cosmic geography: it is a structured realm beneath the earth associated with Nāgas and Dānavas/Daityas. The verse situates Śukra within the Dānava sphere as their preceptor.

Why is Daṇḍa called ‘Ikṣvāku-nandana’?

It marks him as belonging to the Ikṣvāku (Sūryavaṃśa) royal lineage, emphasizing that even eminent kings are subject to the moral-ritual power of a sage’s śāpa.

Does ‘dānavālaya’ imply a specific city or just a realm?

In this phrasing it is a realm-designation (‘abode of the Dānavas’) rather than a named city; the verse highlights the netherworld domain broadly rather than a particular toponym.