Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 53

Portents at Bali’s Sacrifice and the Kośakāra’s Son: The Power of Past Karma

Devanagari script

सातिभीताब्रवीत् को ऽसि कूपान्तस्थो ऽद्भुतस्वरः सो ऽप्याह तव पुत्रो ऽस्मि निशाकरेति विश्रुतः

Transliteration

sātibhītābravīt ko 'si kūpāntastho 'dbhutasvaraḥ so 'pyāha tava putro 'smi niśākareti viśrutaḥ

Translation

Terrified, she said: “Who are you, staying at the bottom of the well, with such a wondrous voice?” He too replied: “I am your son, renowned by the name Niśākara.”

Speakers

• Mother questioning; Niśākara replying from within the well

Primary Deities

• None explicit

Key Themes

• Recognition (pratyabhijñā)
• Fear and the uncanny in sacred-place legends
• Identity through naming

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the mother react with fear rather than immediate recognition?

The setting (a voice from the bottom of a well) and the descriptor adbhuta-svara frame the event as uncanny. Purāṇic tīrtha-legends often begin with wonder or fear, which then resolves into revelation, sanctity, or moral instruction.

What does “viśrutaḥ” add to the meaning?

It indicates that the name Niśākara is already established or destined to be celebrated—hinting that the episode is part of a larger etiological account explaining later fame of the person or the place.

Is there a symbolic reading of ‘voice from the well’?

Yes. Wells can symbolize hidden truth, confinement, or liminal space. A ‘voice from below’ dramatizes concealed identity emerging into the open—an effective motif for tīrtha narratives that transform ordinary terrain into meaningful sacred landscape.