Shloka 36
Jabali Bound by the Monkey — Jabali Bound by the Monkey: Nandayanti’s Ordeal and the Yamuna–Hiranyavati Sacred Corridor
ततो ऽसौ मां समादाय विस्फुरन्तं प्रयत्नतः वटाग्रे ऽस्मिन्नुद्ब्बन्ध जटाभिरपि सुन्दरि
tato 'sau māṃ samādāya visphurantaṃ prayatnataḥ vaṭāgre 'sminnudbbandha jaṭābhirapi sundari
Alors il s’empara de moi—bien que je me débatte violemment de toutes mes forces—et me lia au sommet/à la branche de ce banian (vaṭa), allant jusqu’à se servir de ses mèches ascétiques (jaṭā), ô belle dame.
{ "primaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "secondaryRasa": "raudra", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Vaṭa trees commonly function as āśrama markers and tirtha-adjacent sacred flora. They are associated with longevity, shelter, and ritual gatherings; thus, locating the event at a vaṭa intensifies the sense of sacrilege or, alternatively, frames the site as one where divine/ascetic protection may intervene.
Jaṭā evokes ascetic identity (tapasvin, vānaprastha, śaiva/ṛṣi imagery). Using jaṭā as a binding instrument is a striking inversion: an ascetic sign becomes a tool of restraint, underscoring either the assailant’s distorted dharma or a grotesque parody of ascetic power.
Sundari is a vocative used by the narrator to address the listener within the frame dialogue. Without the surrounding verses, the addressee cannot be named securely, but the form indicates an internal conversational setting rather than a purely third-person narration.