Vamana Purana — Jabali on the Banyan Tree, Shloka 38

Jabali Bound on the Banyan Tree and Nandayanti’s Appeal at Sri-Kantha on the Yamuna

Devanagari script

ततो ऽऽब्रवीन्नरपतिः सुतनु शृणु चेष्टितम् चित्राङ्गदाया यद् वृत्तं पुरा देवयुगे शुभे

Transliteration

tato ''bravīnnarapatiḥ sutanu śṛṇu ceṣṭitam citrāṅgadāyā yad vṛttaṃ purā devayuge śubhe

Translation

Then the king said: “O fair-bodied one, listen to my account of conduct and to what happened long ago to Citrāṅgadā in the auspicious divine age, O blessed lady.”

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Desha-Kala (देश-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्ययीभाव/तसिल्-प्रत्यय; adverb of sequence

• अब्रवीत्: said/spoke
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नरपतिः: the king
• नरपतिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st, Nominative) एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नराणां पतिः)

• सुतनु: O slender/beautiful one
• सुतनु: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु + तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative) एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सु-तनुः = beautiful/slender-bodied)

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चेष्टितम्: the deed/act
• चेष्टितम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेष्टित (कृदन्त; √चेष्ट् (धातु))
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd, Accusative) एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) used as noun

• चित्राङ्गदायाः: of Citrāṅgadā
• चित्राङ्गदायाः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्राङ्गदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th, Genitive) एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd, Accusative) एकवचन; relative pronoun

• वृत्तम्: happened/occurred
• वृत्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्त (कृदन्त; √वृत् (धातु))
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd, Accusative) एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; 'what happened'

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Desha-Kala (देश-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• देवयुगे: in the age of the gods
• देवयुगे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th, Locative) एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (देवानां युगम्)

• शुभे: auspicious
• शुभे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th, Locative) एकवचन; agrees with 'देवयुगे'

Speakers

• The king (narapati) addressing a woman (sutanu/śubhe)
• likely Virajā in the immediate dialogue context.

Key Themes

• Frame-narrative technique (story within story)
• Appeal to ancient precedent (itihāsa/purā-vṛtta)
• Didactic use of exemplary female narrative (Citrāṅgadā)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the king invoke ‘devayuga’ (the divine age)?

‘Devayuga’ signals a mythic antiquity that authorizes the forthcoming account as paradigmatic. Purāṇas often ground moral or social claims in events ‘long ago’ to present them as timeless precedents.

Who is Citrāṅgadā here—does it match the Mahābhārata’s Citrāṅgadā?

The name occurs in multiple traditions. Without additional surrounding verses, identification with the Mahābhārata figure cannot be assumed; Purāṇic recensions may reuse names for distinct characters or localized exempla.

What is the narrative function of asking to hear/relate ‘ceṣṭita’?

It introduces an exemplum: a prior story meant to clarify the present dilemma (Virajā’s refusal and the looming curse). ‘Ceṣṭita’ highlights behavior and its consequences, aligning the episode with Purāṇic didactic storytelling.