Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Counsel to Andhaka, Shloka 17

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

Devanagari script

दण्डो ऽपि भस्मसाद् भूतः सराष्ट्रबलवाहनः महता ग्राववरषेण सप्तरात्रान्तरे तदा

Transliteration

daṇḍo 'pi bhasmasād bhūtaḥ sarāṣṭrabalavāhanaḥ mahatā grāvavaraṣeṇa saptarātrāntare tadā

Translation

Then Daṇḍa too was reduced to ashes—along with his kingdom, his troops, and his mounts/vehicles—by a great shower of stones, within the span of seven nights.

Speakers

• Narrator reporting the consequence of the curse (śāpa-phala).

Key Themes

• Śāpa-phala (result of a curse)
• Impermanence of royal power
• Cosmic/meteorological catastrophe as moral consequence
• Total destruction (kingdom, army, conveyances)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What does ‘grāvavarṣa’ indicate in Purāṇic narrative style?

‘Grāvavarṣa’ (stone-shower) is a stock motif for extraordinary, curse-driven calamity—an externalized cosmic response that enacts the sage’s speech-power (vāk-śakti) as physical catastrophe.

Why emphasize ‘sa-rāṣṭra-bala-vāhanaḥ’ (with kingdom, army, and vehicles)?

The phrase underscores comprehensive downfall: not only the individual king but the entire apparatus of sovereignty—territory, military strength, and mobility/transport—collapses under adharma and śāpa.

Is ‘seven nights’ symbolic or literal?

Purāṇas often use fixed time-frames (like seven nights) to convey completeness and inevitability. It may be read as a narrative measure of swift, bounded destruction rather than a calendrical report.