Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 19

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

Devanagari script

किं वा त्वया द्विजश्रेष्ठ पौराणी न श्रुता कथा या वृत्ता मलये पूर्वं कोशकारसुतस्य तु

Transliteration

kiṃ vā tvayā dvijaśreṣṭha paurāṇī na śrutā kathā yā vṛttā malaye pūrvaṃ kośakārasutasya tu

Translation

અથવા, હે દ્વિજશ્રેષ્ઠ, શું તમે તે પૌરાણિક કથા નથી સાંભ�Vamana Purana,62,27,VamP 62.27,evaṃ gateṣu vipreṣu gautamāṅgirasādiṣu śukrastu bhārgavān sarvān ninye yajñavidhau mune,एवं गतेषु विप्रेषु गौतमाङ्गिरसादिषु शुक्रस्तु भार्गवान् सर्वान् निन्ये यज्ञविधौ मुने,Saromahatmiya (Conflict-Resolution via Yajña Administration),Dharma Teaching / Ritual Procedure (Yajñavidhi),Adhyaya 62 (Śukra’s leadership in sacrificial order),27,evaṃ gateṣu vipreṣu gautamāṅgirasādiṣu śukrastu bhārgavān sarvān ninye yajñavidhau mune,evaṃ gateṣu vipreṣu gautamāṅgirasādiṣu | śukras tu bhārgavān sarvān ninye yajñavidhau mune ||,When those brāhmaṇa sages—Gautama

Speakers

• (Narrative frame) A speaker addresses a brāhmaṇa interlocutor (dvijaśreṣṭha)
• introducing a well-known Purāṇic story.

Key Themes

• Kathā-prastāva (story-introduction)
• Authority of Purāṇic tradition
• Sacred geography as narrative setting

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the text emphasize that the story is ‘Purāṇic’ (paurāṇī kathā)?

Calling it ‘Purāṇic’ signals that the account belongs to the recognized corpus of sacred tradition—meant to be heard (śravaṇa), remembered, and transmitted—rather than being a merely local anecdote. It also frames the narrative as carrying dharmic and tīrtha-related significance.

What is the significance of locating the episode in ‘Malaya’?

In Purāṇic geography, Malaya denotes a southern mountainous tract associated with forests, rivers, and pilgrimage circuits. Naming Malaya anchors the tale in a specific sacred landscape, consistent with the Vāmana Purāṇa’s strong geographical orientation.

Who is the ‘kośakārasuta’ and why mention his social identity?

The ‘son of the kośakāra (silk-worker/weaver)’ marks the protagonist by occupation and lineage, a common Purāṇic technique to highlight dharma operating across social strata and to foreground a morally exemplary episode arising outside royal or priestly elites.