Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 32

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

Devanagari script

चित्राङ्गदामथाभ्येत्य पर्यपृच्छदनिष्ठुरम् कासि केन च कार्येण निर्जने स्थितवत्यसि

Transliteration

citrāṅgadāmathābhyetya paryapṛcchadaniṣṭhuram kāsi kena ca kāryeṇa nirjane sthitavatyasi

Translation

तब चित्राङ्गदा उसके पास गई और कोमल वाणी से पूछने लगी—“तुम कौन हो, और किस कार्य से इस निर्जन स्थान में ठहरी हो?”

Speakers

• Narrator (contextual) presenting Citrāṅgadā’s inquiry to an unnamed woman

Key Themes

• Tirtha-journey framing
• Encounter and identification motif
• Gentle speech (madhura-vākya) as dharmic conduct

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is the detail ‘aniṣṭhuram’ (gently, not harshly) significant in Purāṇic narration?

Purāṇas often mark dharmic comportment through speech. A gentle inquiry signals proper conduct toward strangers—especially in sacred landscapes where visitors may be ascetics, pilgrims, or divine beings in disguise.

Does ‘nirjana’ indicate a specific sacred site here?

In this verse it functions as a narrative descriptor (‘lonely/remote place’). The named geography appears in the subsequent verses (Sarasvatī, Naimiṣa), which anchor the episode in a recognized tīrtha-region.

What narrative function does this question serve?

It introduces an identity-revelation sequence typical of tīrtha-māhātmya sections: a pilgrim or extraordinary figure is questioned, then discloses lineage, purpose, and the sanctity of the place.