Vamana Purana — Kali's Complaint to Brahma (Part 2), Shloka 48

Kali’s Complaint to Brahma and the Arrival of Śrī (Jayaśrī) in Bali’s Reign

Devanagari script

जयश्रीश्चन्द्रवदना प्रविष्टाद्योतयच्छुभा तस्यां चाथ प्रविष्टायां विधवा इव योषितः

Transliteration

jayaśrīścandravadanā praviṣṭādyotayacchubhā tasyāṃ cātha praviṣṭāyāṃ vidhavā iva yoṣitaḥ

Translation

Victory and Fortune—moon-faced—entered (that royal assembly/court) and, auspicious, illumined it. And when she had entered, the women there appeared like widows (as though bereft of their own splendor).

Speakers

• Narrator voice within the Vamana–Bali episode (courtly description); traditional frame often runs Pulastya → Nārada
• but this verse itself is descriptive narration.

Primary Deities

• Śrī (Lakṣmī as Fortune)

Key Themes

• Royal splendor (rāja-śrī)
• Personification of virtues
• Auspicious presence and radiance
• Bali’s eminence as a dharmic king

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are ‘Jaya’ and ‘Śrī’ treated as persons who ‘enter’ and ‘shine’ in the court?

Purāṇic style frequently personifies abstract powers (victory, fortune, fame, patience) as attendant goddesses. The verse signals that Bali’s sovereignty is so complete that ‘Victory’ and ‘Fortune’ are not merely qualities but palpable presences that take residence with him.

What does ‘the women appeared like widows’ mean—does it imply misfortune?

It is a poetic hyperbole: when Śrī (radiant prosperity) enters, her brilliance eclipses others’ luster. The comparison to widows indicates the absence of adornment/splendor relative to Śrī’s overwhelming radiance, not a literal calamity.

How does this fit the Vāmana–Bali narrative?

Before Viṣṇu’s Vāmana request and the Trivikrama stride, the text often establishes Bali’s greatness—his prosperity, virtues, and legitimacy—so that the later theological ‘humbling’ is framed not as punishment of a villain but as a cosmic reordering and a test of dharma and generosity.