Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 104

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

Devanagari script

गायन्ती याति तच्छ्रुत्वा जातो ऽहं व्यथितेन्द्रियः पृष्ठस्तु समालोक्य विपर्यस्तस्तथोत्प्लुतः

Transliteration

gāyantī yāti tacchrutvā jāto 'haṃ vyathitendriyaḥ pṛṣṭhastu samālokya viparyastastathotplutaḥ

Translation

64

Speakers

• First-person narrator (identity not explicit in excerpt) describing his reaction; listener not recoverable from these verses alone.

Key Themes

• Auditory omen (song as trigger)
• Fear and sensory disturbance
• Liminal/uncanny atmosphere in a pilgrimage narrative

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘she’ (gāyantī) in this verse?

The verse grammatically indicates a female subject (‘gāyantī’). In many Purāṇic episodes, such a figure may be a disguised being (yakṣiṇī, piśācī, or other liminal entity) or a narrative device to heighten ominousness. The excerpt alone does not identify her.

What is the narrative function of ‘hearing a song’ causing distress?

Sound—especially unexplained singing in a forest—often marks an inauspicious or supernatural presence. The text uses the protagonist’s sensory disturbance (vyathitendriya) to signal that the situation has crossed from ordinary travel into a perilous, fate-driven encounter.

Does ‘looking behind’ (pṛṣṭhastu samālokya) imply pursuit or betrayal?

It can. In such narratives, the backward glance frequently accompanies realization: the guide may not be trustworthy, or something has changed behind the traveler (companions missing, a threat approaching). The next verse’s sudden fall/death confirms the moment is a turning point.