Vamana Purana — Chanda & Munda Discover Katyayani, Shloka 23

Chanda and Munda Discover Katyayani; Mahishasura’s Proposal and the Vishnu-Panjara Protection

Devanagari script

कात्यायानी दुन्दुभिमभ्युवाच एह्येहि दैत्येन्द्र भयं विमुच्य वाक्यं च यद्रम्भसुतो बभाषे वदस्व तत्सत्यमपेतमोहः

Transliteration

kātyāyānī dundubhimabhyuvāca ehyehi daityendra bhayaṃ vimucya vākyaṃ ca yadrambhasuto babhāṣe vadasva tatsatyamapetamohaḥ

Translation

Kātyāyanī se dirigió a Dundubhi: «Ven, ven, oh señor de los daityas; desecha el temor. Y cualquier declaración que haya pronunciado el hijo de Rambhā, dila con veracidad, libre de engaño».

Word by Word

• kātyāyānī: Kātyāyanī
• kātyāyānī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kātyāyānī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st), Singular (proper name of the goddess)

• dundubhim: Dundubhi
• dundubhim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dundubhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular (proper name)

• abhyuvāca: addressed, spoke to
• abhyuvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-√vac (वच्, धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular

• ehi: come!
• ehi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √i (इ, धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), Parasmaipada, 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular

• ehi: come!
• ehi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √i (इ, धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), Parasmaipada, 2nd person, Singular (repetition for emphasis)

• daitya-indra: O lord of the Daityas
• daitya-indra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी) 'daityānām indraḥ'; Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• vimucya: having cast off
• vimucya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vi-√muc (मुच्, धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), avyaya-kṛdanta; 'having released/abandoned'

• vākyam: statement, words
• vākyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, conjunction

• yat: which (that)
• yat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun; Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; correlates with tat

• rambhā-sutaḥ: Rambhā's son
• rambhā-sutaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rambhā (प्रातिपदिक) + suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी) 'rambhāyāḥ sutaḥ'; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• babhāṣe: spoke
• babhāṣe: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhāṣ (भाष्, धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person, Singular

• vadasva: tell, speak
• vadasva: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (वद्, धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), Ātmanepada, 2nd person, Singular

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Demonstrative pronoun; Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; correlative to yat

• satyam: true, truthfully
• satyam: Karma (कर्म) (as object-complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; used predicatively 'truthfully/true'

• apeta-mohaḥ: one whose delusion has departed
• apeta-mohaḥ: Sambodhyaviśeṣaṇa (सम्बोध्य-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apeta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, from apa-√i/√gam in sense 'gone away') + moha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi: 'yasya mohaḥ apetaḥ'; Masculine, Nominative, Singular; addressing/qualifying the listener (Dundubhi)

Speakers

• Kātyāyanī → Dundubhi

Primary Deities

• Kātyāyanī/Devī
• Śiva (implicit in later verse context: ‘śivāyāḥ’)

Key Themes

• Daitya-Deva Conflict
• Truthfulness (satya)
• Courage/Fearlessness
• Divine challenge/boon-dialogue framing

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The Goddess demands satya (truthful speech) and fearlessness as prerequisites for meaningful dialogue. Dharma here begins with inner clarity (moha-śūnyatā) and moral courage, even in adversarial contexts.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This passage aligns most closely with Vamśānucarita / carita-style narrative (accounts of beings and their deeds), rather than cosmogenesis (sarga) or dissolution (pralaya). It is episodic narration within the Purāṇic story-stream.

What is the symbolic significance?

Kātyāyanī’s summons represents the power of Śakti to compel even hostile forces to face truth. “Apetamoha” signals that confrontation must move from egoic confusion to clear articulation, a common Purāṇic motif before judgement or divine response.