Vamana Purana — Narada Questions Pulastya, Shloka 18
Narada Questions Pulastya: The Vamana Purana Begins and Satī’s Monsoon Lament
पतन्ति धारा गगनात् परिच्युता बका बलाकाश्च सरन्ति तोयदान् कदम्बसर्ज्जार्जुनकेतकीद्रुमाः पुष्पाणि मुञ्चन्ति सुमारुताहताः
patanti dhārā gaganāt paricyutā bakā balākāśca saranti toyadān kadambasarjjārjunaketakīdrumāḥ puṣpāṇi muñcanti sumārutāhatāḥ
Streams of rain fall, released from the sky. Herons and cranes move about near the water-giving clouds. Kadamba, sāla/sarjja, arjuna, and ketakī trees shed their flowers, struck by the gentle wind.
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FAQs
The verse underscores impermanence and abundance simultaneously: flowers fall even as rains nourish. This duality supports a Purāṇic ethic of detachment without denial—participating in the world while remembering its transience.
As with the prior verses, it is supportive narration within carita (episode description). It does not directly contribute to sarga/pratisarga or vaṃśa lists but contextualizes an impending event/dialogue.
Rain (dhārā) symbolizes grace and purification; birds gathering near clouds suggest instinctive turning toward sources of sustenance—analogous to jīvas turning toward the divine. Flower-fall can hint at the fragility of worldly beauty, preparing the reader for more serious moral/theological developments in the surrounding episode.