Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 111

Shukra’s Curse on King Danda and Andhaka’s Challenge to Shiva

Devanagari script

रथैः पञ्चापि तत्तीर्थं संप्राप्तास्ते नरोत्तमाः मघ्याह्नमये प्रीताः सप्तगोदावरं जलम्

Transliteration

rathaiḥ pañcāpi tattīrthaṃ saṃprāptāste narottamāḥ maghyāhnamaye prītāḥ saptagodāvaraṃ jalam

Translation

वे पाँचों नरश्रेष्ठ रथों से उस तीर्थ पर पहुँचे। मध्याह्न के समय प्रसन्न होकर उन्होंने सप्तगोदावरी के जल का सेवन/उपयोग किया।

Speakers

• Narrator voice (introducing a tīrtha and its ritual time)

Key Themes

• Tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage travel)
• Ritual timing (madhyāhna)
• Sacred waters and merit

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is ‘Saptagodāvarī’?

It denotes a Godāvarī sacred-water complex characterized by ‘seven’—commonly interpreted in Purāṇic geography as seven streams/branches, seven confluences, or a cluster of seven sanctified bathing points associated with the Godāvarī system. The exact referent is typically clarified by adjacent verses listing the seven divisions or their names.

Why is ‘midday’ (madhyāhna) specified?

Purāṇic tīrtha practice often assigns heightened efficacy to bathing, offering, or japa at specific times (sandhyās, madhyāhna). Here it signals an auspicious ritual window, implying that the pilgrims’ satisfaction (prīti) is linked to proper timing and observance.

Who are the ‘five excellent men’ (pañcāpi… narottamāḥ)?

The verse presumes prior identification in the chapter’s narrative. In many Purāṇic itineraries, a small group of travelers (sages, kings, or exemplary devotees) functions as a narrative device to ‘visit’ and thereby authenticate multiple tīrthas in sequence; their precise names should appear earlier in Adhyāya 39.