Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 22

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

Devanagari script

मुद्गलस्य मुनेः पुत्रो ज्ञानविज्ञानपारगः कोशकार इति ख्यात आसीद् ब्रह्मंस्तपोरतः

Transliteration

mudgalasya muneḥ putro jñānavijñānapāragaḥ kośakāra iti khyāta āsīd brahmaṃstaporataḥ

Translation

dayitā: beloved (wife); sādhvī: virtuous, good woman; dharmiṣṭhā: most devoted to dharma; nāmataḥ: by name; Sutā: proper name of the wife; satī: chaste/faithful woman (also an honorific for a virtuous wife); Vātsyāyana-sutā: daughter of Vātsyāyana; dharma-śīlā: of righteous character; pati-vratā: one who observes the vow of fidelity/service to her husband (idealized marital dharma).

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher voice addressing a Brahmin interlocutor (brahman). (Exact named speakers not present in the given excerpt.)

Key Themes

• Genealogical framing
• Asceticism (tapas)
• Ideal of jñāna-vijñāna (knowledge and realization)
• Character introduction

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the verse pair jñāna and vijñāna for Kośakāra?

In Purāṇic idiom, jñāna often denotes doctrinal or essential knowledge, while vijñāna emphasizes realized discernment—knowledge that has become lived insight. Calling him jñāna-vijñāna-pāraga marks him as both learned and spiritually accomplished, setting a high contrast for what follows in the narrative.

What does the name/epithet ‘Kośakāra’ imply?

Literally ‘maker of a kośa’ (sheath/case/covering). In Purāṇic naming, such epithets can preserve a remembered craft, a symbolic trait (one who ‘fashions coverings’), or a narrative marker. Here it functions primarily as a recognized name while also hinting at themes of ‘sheath’ and ‘inner knowledge’ that Purāṇas sometimes exploit.

Does this verse contain any tīrtha or geographic marker typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

No. This line is purely genealogical/character-introductory; the geography-centered material appears elsewhere in the text, but not in the provided śloka.