Vamana Purana — Chanda & Munda Discover Katyayani, Shloka 7

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

Devanagari script

मध्यं च तस्यास्त्रिवलीतरङ्गं विभाति दैत्येन्द्र सुरोमराजि भयातुरारोहणकातरस्य कामस्य सोपानमिव प्रयुक्तम्

Transliteration

madhyaṃ ca tasyāstrivalītaraṅgaṃ vibhāti daityendra suromarāji bhayāturārohaṇakātarasya kāmasya sopānamiva prayuktam

Translation

Ô seigneur des Daitya, la taille de cette femme—ondoyante de ses trois plis—resplendit d’une belle ligne de duvet, comme un escalier mis en place pour Kāma, désireux de monter mais tremblant de crainte devant toi.

Word by Word

• मध्यम्: the waist/middle
• मध्यम्: कर्ता (कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• त्रिवली-तरङ्गम्: the wave-like triple fold
• त्रिवली-तरङ्गम्: मध्यम्-विशेषण (विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिवली + तरङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (त्रिवल्याः तरङ्गः = wave-like triple fold)

• विभाति: shines, appears
• विभाति: क्रिया (विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; वि- उपसर्ग

• दैत्येन्द्र: O lord of the Daityas
• दैत्येन्द्र: सम्बोधन (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (दैत्यानाम् इन्द्रः)

• सु-रोम-राजि: a beautiful line of body-hair
• सु-रोम-राजि: कर्ता (कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु + रोम + राजि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सु-रोम्णां राजिः = beautiful line of hair)

• भय-आतुर-आरोहण-कातरस्य: of (one) distressed by fear and hesitant to climb
• भय-आतुर-आरोहण-कातरस्य: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भय + आतुर + आरोहण + कातर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (भयेन आतुरः; आरोहणे कातरः)

• कामस्य: of Kāma (Cupid)/desire
• कामस्य: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• सोपानम्: a stair, step-ladder
• सोपानम्: उपमान (उपमा-आश्रय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोपान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इव: like
• इव: सम्बन्ध (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमावाचक

• प्रयुक्तम्: applied/placed
• प्रयुक्तम्: विशेषण (सोपान-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त (PPP) ‘प्रयुक्त’, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपसर्ग प्र-

Speakers

• Not identifiable from verse alone (broader dialogue layer not provided)

Primary Deities

• Kāma (Manmatha) (as poetic reference)

Key Themes

• Kāvya-style śṛṅgāra description
• Alaṅkāra (metaphor of sopāna/staircase)
• Daitya courtly address (daityendra)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse is primarily aesthetic (śṛṅgāra) rather than didactic; it portrays desire (kāma) as a force that ‘ascends’ when beauty is perceived, while still being constrained by fear/respect toward power (addressed as daityendra).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is not a pancalakṣaṇa core-topic unit (sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita) by itself; it functions as narrative ornamentation within an episode (ancillary to vaṃśānucarita/ākhyāna context, depending on the surrounding chapter).

What is the symbolic significance?

The ‘three folds’ (trivalī) and the hair-line (romarājī) are classical beauty markers; the ‘staircase for Kāma’ metaphor symbolizes desire’s stepwise intensification, while ‘fear’ suggests the social/moral boundary that checks passion.