Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 130

Shukra’s Curse on King Danda and Andhaka’s Challenge to Shiva

Devanagari script

ततो घृताची स्वां पुत्रीं परिष्वज्य न्यपीडयत् स्नेहात् सवाष्पनयनां मुहुस्तां परिजिघ्रवीत्

Transliteration

tato ghṛtācī svāṃ putrīṃ pariṣvajya nyapīḍayat snehāt savāṣpanayanāṃ muhustāṃ parijighravīt

Translation

Then Ghṛtācī embraced her own daughter and, out of affection, pressed her close; with eyes brimming with tears, she repeatedly smelled her, as a gesture of maternal love.

Speakers

• Narrator voice (third-person narration) describing Ghṛtācī and her daughter

Primary Deities

• (none explicit; Apsaras figure Ghṛtācī)

Key Themes

• Maternal affection
• Reunion motif
• Apsaras/Gandharva narrative texture

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the text mention ‘smelling’ (parijighravīt) the daughter repeatedly?

In Sanskrit narrative idiom, smelling the head/face is a culturally recognized sign of intimate affection, especially parental love. Here it intensifies the emotional realism of the reunion: Ghṛtācī’s embrace is not merely formal but deeply maternal.

What is the narrative function of this tender scene in a Purāṇic chapter?

Such moments often serve as a hinge between action sequences: they humanize celestial beings (Apsarases) and provide emotional motivation before the plot moves to commands, journeys, or retrievals (as the subsequent verses indicate).

Does this verse contribute to the Vāmana Purāṇa’s geographical emphasis?

Indirectly. While no place-name appears here, the surrounding episode (next verses) situates the action around Añjanādri, a mountain locale that becomes part of the chapter’s spatial mapping.