Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 1

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

Devanagari script

इति श्रीवामनपुराणे त्रिषष्टितमो ऽध्यायः इन् रेए निछ्त् zउल्äस्सिगे zएइछेन्: - #2 र्̥̄ #1 ष् #1 श्रीवामनपुराणं-64 पुलस्त्य उवाच ततः समागच्चति वासुदेवे मही चकम्पे गिरयच चेलुः क्षुब्धाः समुद्रा श्रीवामनपुराणं-64 पुलस्त्य उवाच ततः समागच्चति वासुदेवे मही चकम्पे गिरयश्च चेलुः क्षुब्धाः समुद्रा दिवि ऋक्षमण्डलो बभौ विपर्यस्तगतिर्महर्षे

Transliteration

iti śrīvāmanapurāṇe triṣaṣṭitamo 'dhyāyaḥ IN REE NICHT ZULÄSSIGE ZEICHEN: - #2 r̥̄ #1 Ṣ #1 śrīvāmanapurāṇaṃ-64 pulastya uvāca tataḥ samāgaccati vāsudeve mahī cakampe girayaca celuḥ kṣubdhāḥ samudrā śrīvāmanapurāṇaṃ-64 pulastya uvāca tataḥ samāgaccati vāsudeve mahī cakampe girayaśca celuḥ kṣubdhāḥ samudrā divi ṛkṣamaṇḍalo babhau viparyastagatirmaharṣe

Translation

पुलस्त्य बोले—तब वासुदेव के निकट आते ही पृथ्वी काँप उठी, पर्वत डोलने लगे, समुद्र क्षुब्ध हो गए; और हे महर्षे, आकाश में नक्षत्रमण्डल की गति मानो उलटी हो गई।

Speakers

• Pulastya narrating (frame; addressee not explicit in excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (Vāsudeva)

Key Themes

• Cosmic omens (adbhuta)
• Theophany signaled by nature’s disturbance
• Macrocosm responding to the divine

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why do Purāṇas describe earthquakes and astral reversals when a deity arrives?

Such ‘adbhuta’ motifs mark a theophany: the cosmos reacts to the Lord’s proximity, indicating a shift in dharmic balance or the onset of a decisive divine act.

What is ‘ṛkṣa-maṇḍala’ in classical Sanskrit usage?

It denotes the stellar/constellation sphere (nakṣatra/stellar circle). Mentioning its ‘reversed course’ intensifies the omen, suggesting cosmic order is momentarily destabilized by a transcendent event.

Does this verse locate the event at a specific tīrtha?

Not by name. It uses cosmic-scale geography (earth, mountains, oceans, sky). A specific pilgrimage location would need adjacent verses naming a river, forest, or shrine.