Shloka 26

Jabali Bound by the Monkey — Jabali Bound by the Monkey: Nandayanti’s Ordeal and the Yamuna–Hiranyavati Sacred Corridor

Devanagari script

स तामाह महाभागे बद्धो ऽस्मि कपिना वटे जटास्वेवं सुदुष्टेन जीवामि तपसो बलात्

Transliteration

sa tāmāha mahābhāge baddho 'smi kapinā vaṭe jaṭāsvevaṃ suduṣṭena jīvāmi tapaso balāt

Translation

He said to her: “O noble lady, I am bound at Kapinā-vata (the banyan called ‘Kapinā’). By this exceedingly wicked one I am held fast in my matted locks (jaṭā); yet I continue to live by the power of my austerity (tapas).”

Speakers

• Unnamed male ascetic/figure speaking to an unnamed noble woman (contextual dialogue within the tirtha narrative of Adhyaya 38).

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Maheśvara) (contextual)

Key Themes

• Tapas (ascetic power sustaining life)
• Bondage and endurance
• Tirtha-associated myth (etiology of a sacred spot)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is implied by being “bound in the jaṭās” (matted locks)?

In Purāṇic idiom, jaṭā signifies ascetic identity and accumulated tapas. Being bound within the jaṭā suggests a supernatural or hostile constraint placed upon an ascetic’s very seat of power; the verse stresses that survival continues only through tapas-bala.

Why is a banyan (vaṭa) singled out as a location?

Vaṭa trees commonly serve as fixed sacred landmarks in tirtha literature. Naming a specific vaṭa (here, Kapinā-vaṭa) anchors the myth to a pilgrim-recognizable site, turning narrative memory into geography.

Does this verse teach a doctrinal point or mainly establish a place-myth?

Primarily it functions as place-myth (sthala-purāṇa): the personal ordeal is narrated to explain the sanctity/identity of a named spot. Secondarily it conveys the Purāṇic valuation of tapas as life-sustaining spiritual force.