Shloka 30

Origins of the Maruts — Origins of the Maruts Across the Manvantaras (Pulastya–Narada Dialogue)

Devanagari script

तत्राजगाम त्वरिता यत्रातप्यन्त ते तपः आश्रमस्याविदूरे तु नदी मन्दोदवाहिनी

Transliteration

tatrājagāma tvaritā yatrātapyanta te tapaḥ āśramasyāvidūre tu nadī mandodavāhinī

Translation

“She went there swiftly, to the place where they were practicing austerities. Not far from the hermitage there was a river, flowing with gentle (slow) water.”

Speakers

• Narrator describing Pūtanā’s movement to the ascetics’ locale

Key Themes

• Landscape framing of tapas
• Āśrama ecology (river proximity)
• Narrative staging for tapas-vighna episode

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the text note a gently flowing river near the āśrama?

Purāṇic geography often anchors events in recognizable ascetic landscapes: a hermitage near a calm river suggests suitability for japa, bathing, and ritual observance. The detail also sets a scene for potential encounters, bathing episodes, or ritual timings used in ‘vighna’ narratives.

Is ‘mandodavāhinī’ a proper name of a river?

In this verse it functions as a descriptive compound—‘a river whose water flows gently’—rather than a named river. Unless later verses supply a proper noun, it should be cataloged as an unnamed river characterized by mild current.

What does the proximity of river and āśrama imply for tirtha-mapping in the Vāmana Purāṇa?

Even when unnamed, such features indicate a micro-tirtha environment: hermitages are typically situated near water for daily rites (snāna, tarpaṇa, agnihotra support). For metadata, it is important to record the presence of ‘āśrama + nadī’ as a geographic node awaiting further identification from adjacent passages.