Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 35

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

Devanagari script

त्रस्ता सा निर्जगामाथ गृहमध्यात् तपस्विनी स चापि ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठः समपश्यत तं शिशुम्

Transliteration

trastā sā nirjagāmātha gṛhamadhyāt tapasvinī sa cāpi brāhmaṇaśreṣṭhaḥ samapaśyata taṃ śiśum

Translation

Frightened, that ascetic woman then came out from the middle of the house; and that foremost brāhmaṇa, too, saw the infant there.

Speakers

• Narrator voice describing the actions of the wife and the brāhmaṇa husband.

Key Themes

• Auspicious anomaly and fear (adbhuta + bhaya)
• Ascetic virtue within household life
• Recognition of a miraculous infant

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is the wife called “tapasvinī” if she is in a house (gṛha)?

In Purāṇic idiom, tapas is not restricted to forest renunciation; it can denote disciplined, dharmic living, vows, and purity maintained by a householder woman.

What does the wife’s fear indicate in this narrative pattern?

Fear commonly marks the onset of an adbhuta (marvel). It signals that what is being encountered exceeds ordinary experience—often a divine sign, boon, or karmic consequence.

Is the infant already identified as divine here?

No. The verse only states that the brāhmaṇa sees the infant; identification (as a boon-born child, a sage, or a divine manifestation) typically unfolds in subsequent verses.