Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 79

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

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नन्तरे तन्वी घृताची शोकसंयुता विचचारोदयगिरिं विचिन्वन्ती सुतां निजाम्

Transliteration

etasminnantare tanvī ghṛtācī śokasaṃyutā vicacārodayagiriṃ vicinvantī sutāṃ nijām

Translation

Meanwhile, the slender Gṛtācī, overcome with sorrow, wandered about Mount Udayagiri, searching for her own daughter.

Speakers

• Narrator voice shifting focus to Gṛtācī’s actions.

Primary Deities

• Indra (implied by apsaras milieu)

Key Themes

• Separation and search motif
• Apsaras lore within tīrtha geography
• Linking mythic episodes to named landscapes

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is Gṛtācī, and why does she appear in a geography-heavy Purāṇa?

Gṛtācī is a well-known apsaras in Purāṇic and epic traditions. In the Vāmana Purāṇa’s geography-driven chapters, such figures often function as narrative anchors that explain why a place is remembered, named, or ritually significant.

What is Udayagiri’s significance here?

Udayagiri is presented as a distinct mountain landmark associated with the ‘east’ (udaya = sunrise). By situating Gṛtācī’s search there, the text maps emotion and myth onto a concrete topography, reinforcing the Purāṇa’s role as a sacralized gazetteer.

Does this verse imply a specific tīrtha at Udayagiri?

The verse itself names only the mountain, not a ford or shrine. However, in Purāṇic composition, such a mountain reference commonly foreshadows or accompanies nearby tīrthas, rivers, or sanctuaries described in adjacent verses.