Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 85

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

Devanagari script

ते चापि कौशिकीं प्राप्ता राजर्षिप्रवरास्त्रयः द्वितये तापसाभ्यां च रथैः परमवेगिभिः

Transliteration

te cāpi kauśikīṃ prāptā rājarṣipravarāstrayaḥ dvitaye tāpasābhyāṃ ca rathaiḥ paramavegibhiḥ

Translation

ಅವರೂ ಕೌಶಿಕೀ ತೀರಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದರು—ಮೂರು ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ರಾಜರ್ಷಿಗಳು, ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಇಬ್ಬರು ತಪಸ್ವಿಗಳು, ಅತ್ಯಂತ ವೇಗದ ರಥಗಳಲ್ಲಿ।

Speakers

• Narrator voice; introduces additional parties arriving at the Kauśikī.

Key Themes

• Convergence of travelers at a river-tīrtha
• Royal sages and ascetics as tīrtha-goers
• Sacred geography as a meeting-ground

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who are the “three foremost royal seers”?

The verse does not name them; it characterizes them typologically (rājarṣi-pravara). In Purāṇic tīrtha sections, such groups often represent exemplary dharmic agents—kings who have attained seer-like status—arriving to witness, inquire, or perform rites at the river.

Why mention chariots ‘of supreme speed’ in a sacred-geography context?

It emphasizes urgency and the drawing power of the tīrtha. Fast chariots are a narrative device to compress distance while still preserving the geographic anchor (arrival at Kauśikī), keeping the focus on the sanctified location rather than the travelogue.

What does the presence of both royal seers and ascetics indicate?

It signals the tīrtha’s cross-āśrama relevance: both rulers (kṣatriya-dharma) and renunciant practitioners (tapas) are drawn to the same river-site, reinforcing the river’s universal ritual and salvific value in the mahātmya framework.