Vamana Purana — Kurukshetra & Prithudaka Tirtha, Shloka 35

Kurukshetra, Pṛthūdaka Tīrtha, and the Marriage of Saṃvaraṇa with Tapatī

Devanagari script

उभौ तौ पीडितौ मोहं जग्मतुः काममार्गणैः राजा चलासनो भूम्यां निपपात तुरङ्गमात्

Transliteration

ubhau tau pīḍitau mohaṃ jagmatuḥ kāmamārgaṇaiḥ rājā calāsano bhūmyāṃ nipapāta turaṅgamāt

Translation

Both of them, tormented by the arrows of desire, fell into delusion. The king, his seat unsteady, fell from his horse onto the ground.

Word by Word

• ubhau: both
• ubhau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन

• tau: those two
• tau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन

• pīḍitau: afflicted; tormented
• pīḍitau: Viśeṣaṇa of Karta (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīḍ (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; विशेषणम् (ubhau/tau)

• moham: delusion; swoon
• moham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: moha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• jagmatuḥ: went into; fell into
• jagmatuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), द्विवचन

• kāma-mārgaṇaiḥ: by Love's arrows
• kāma-mārgaṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + mārgaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (कामस्य मार्गणाः); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• rājā: the king
• rājā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• cala-āsanaḥ: unsteady in his seat; tottering
• cala-āsanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa of Karta (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cala (प्रातिपदिक) + āsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: कर्मधारय (चलम् आसनम् यस्य सः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (rājā)

• bhūmyām: on the ground
• bhūmyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• nipapāta: fell down
• nipapāta: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-pat (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• turaṅgamāt: from the horse
• turaṅgamāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: turaṅgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

Speakers

• Narrative voice within the Purāṇic dialogue frame (traditionally Pulastya → Nārada at the macro-level)

Primary Deities

• Kāma (as the personified force of desire)

Key Themes

• Ethics of self-control (dama)
• Moha and Kāma as causes of downfall
• Karma through passion-driven bewilderment

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Desire (kāma), when ungoverned, destabilizes discernment (viveka) and bodily composure alike; the king’s physical fall mirrors the inner fall into moha, warning that rulers and householders must cultivate restraint to preserve dharma.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Vamśānucarita / narrative episode: it functions as an illustrative incident within the ongoing story-world rather than cosmogony (sarga) or dissolution (pralaya).

What is the symbolic significance?

The ‘arrows of Kāma’ symbolize sensory impulses that pierce the mind; the horse (often emblematic of the senses or prāṇa in broader Indic symbolism) throwing the rider suggests the senses overpowering the self when mastery is lost.