Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 28

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

Devanagari script

ततस्तामागतां वीक्ष्य तस्या भर्ता घटोदरः नेत्रहीनः प्रत्युवाच किमानीतस्त्वया प्रिये

Transliteration

tatastāmāgatāṃ vīkṣya tasyā bhartā ghaṭodaraḥ netrahīnaḥ pratyuvāca kimānītastvayā priye

Translation

तब उसे आते देखकर, उसकी दृष्टिहीन पति घटोदर ने कहा— “प्रिये, तुम क्या लेकर आई हो?”

Speakers

• Narrator voice presenting dialogue; Ghaṭodara speaking to his wife

Key Themes

• Household dialogue within a rākṣasa narrative
• Foreshadowing of transgression against a brāhmaṇa household
• Consequences of contact with ascetic/brāhmaṇa power

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Ghaṭodara described as netrahīna (blind)?

The epithet functions as a narrative marker: despite physical blindness, he ‘sees’ through report and inference, and it heightens dependence on his wife’s actions—making her choices the immediate cause of the coming moral and karmic crisis.

What is the dramatic function of the question “What have you brought?”

It introduces the object of wrongdoing—bringing a child from a brāhmaṇa’s house—so the plot can pivot from domestic exchange to dharma-violation and its consequence (śāpa/curse).

Does this verse contain any tirtha-geography typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

No. This unit is primarily narrative; the geographical/tīrtha layer is not activated in these three verses, though later context in the Purāṇa often reattaches such stories to places and pilgrimage merit.