Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 6
Portents at Bali’s Sacrifice and the Kośakāra’s Son: The Power of Past Karma
क्षुब्धाः किमर्थं मकरालयाश्च भो ऋक्षा न खे किं प्रचरन्ति पूर्ववत् दिशः किमर्थं तमसा परिप्लुता दोषेण कस्याद्य वदस्व मे गुरो
kṣubdhāḥ kimarthaṃ makarālayāśca bho ṛkṣā na khe kiṃ pracaranti pūrvavat diśaḥ kimarthaṃ tamasā pariplutā doṣeṇa kasyādya vadasva me guro
‘Why are the oceans—abodes of makaras—agitated? Why do the constellations not move across the sky as before? Why are the directions flooded with darkness? Tell me today, O Guru: through whose fault is this?’
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FAQs
It signals a breakdown of the expected celestial rhythm that underwrites calendrics and ritual timing. In Purāṇic narration, such astral irregularity is a high-grade omen indicating that a major dharmic correction is imminent.
Calling the sea the ‘abode of makaras’ evokes the mythic, dangerous depth of cosmic waters. Its agitation mirrors political and ritual turbulence—Bali’s realm is destabilized at every level: terrestrial, celestial, and oceanic.
Not necessarily; it is a diagnostic question. In this genre, portents can arise from the sacrificer’s impurity, a breach of dharma, hostile counter-rites, or the overriding will of a deity. Bali seeks Śukra’s authoritative attribution.