Shloka 11

Jabali Bound by the Monkey — Jabali Bound by the Monkey: Nandayanti’s Ordeal and the Yamuna–Hiranyavati Sacred Corridor

Devanagari script

सो ऽजानत् तां मृतां पुत्रीं समं शाखामृगेण हि जगाम च महातेजाः पातालं निलयं निजम्

Transliteration

so 'jānat tāṃ mṛtāṃ putrīṃ samaṃ śākhāmṛgeṇa hi jagāma ca mahātejāḥ pātālaṃ nilayaṃ nijam

Translation

Sans savoir que sa fille était morte, ce puissant être descendit—avec le singe des branches—vers Pātāla, sa demeure propre.

Speakers

• Narrator voice (Purāṇic narrator continuing the account; specific interlocutors not stated in the given excerpt)

Key Themes

• Separation and ignorance (ajāna) as narrative driver
• Cosmography (Pātāla as a realm)
• Movement between worlds (loka-antaragati)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is the “mighty one” (mahātejāḥ) here?

The verse does not name him; it functions as a narrative continuation. In Purāṇic style, mahātejāḥ often denotes a powerful being (king, sage, or semi-divine figure). Identification requires the immediately preceding verses of Adhyāya 38.

What does śākhāmṛga mean, and why is it used?

Śākhāmṛga literally means “animal of the branches,” a kenning for a monkey. Such compounds are common in Purāṇic narrative to add poetic color and to mark the monkey as a companion/agent in the episode.

Is Pātāla a tīrtha in this context?

Here Pātāla is primarily cosmographic—the underworld abode—rather than a pilgrimage-site. The tīrtha focus emerges in the subsequent verses through rivers/places (e.g., Kāliṇdī and a named deśa).