Vamana Purana — Jabali on the Banyan Tree, Shloka 67

Jabali Bound on the Banyan Tree and Nandayanti’s Appeal at Sri-Kantha on the Yamuna

Devanagari script

संपूज्य देवदेवेशं यथोक्तविधिना हरम् उवाचागम्यतां सुभ्रूं सुदतीं पतिलालसाम्

Transliteration

saṃpūjya devadeveśaṃ yathoktavidhinā haram uvācāgamyatāṃ subhrūṃ sudatīṃ patilālasām

Translation

യഥോക്തവിധിപ്രകാരം ദേവദേവേശനായ ഹരനെ സമ്പൂർണ്ണമായി പൂജിച്ച ശേഷം അദ്ദേഹം പറഞ്ഞു—‘സുന്ദരഭ്രൂവളിയും സുന്ദരദന്തയുമായ, ഭർത്താവിനെ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്ന ആ സ്ത്രീയെ ഇവിടെ കൊണ്ടുവരിക.’

Word by Word

• संपूज्य: having duly worshipped
• संपूज्य: पूर्वकालक्रिया (Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-पूज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), सम्-उपसर्गपूर्वक; ‘having worshipped’

• देवदेवेशम्: the Lord of the gods
• देवदेवेशम्: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘देवानां देवः’ + तत्पुरुषः ‘देवदेवानाम् ईशः’

• यथोक्तविधिना: by the prescribed procedure
• यथोक्तविधिना: करण (Karaṇa/करण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + उक्त (कृदन्त) + विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; तृतीया-एकवचन-रूपेण प्रयोगः (Instrumental sense): ‘यथोक्तेन विधिना’

• हरम्: Hara (Śiva)
• हरम्: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: क्रिया (Kriyā/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• आगम्यताम्: go/come (proceed)
• आगम्यताम्: क्रिया (Kriyā/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; आदेशः/नियोगः

• सुभ्रूम्: the fair-browed woman
• सुभ्रूम्: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुभ्रू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सुदतीम्: with beautiful teeth
• सुदतीम्: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुदती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘सुभ्रूम्’)

• पतिलालसाम्: longing for her husband
• पतिलालसाम्: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पति + लालसा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘पतेः लालसा यस्याः’ (husband-longing)

Speakers

• The great yogin (as actor/speaker) addressing attendants/companions (implied) after worship

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Hara/Devadeveśa)

Key Themes

• Proper ritual procedure (yathokta-vidhi)
• Śiva as supreme lord in devotional address
• Householder concern within ascetic/pilgrimage frame (spousal longing)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is the ‘subhrū sudatī’ woman, and why is she described with such epithets?

The verse uses conventional kāvya-style epithets (‘fair-browed’, ‘beautiful-toothed’) to identify a virtuous woman and to highlight her emotional state (‘pati-lālasā’). In Purāṇic narration, such descriptors often signal a forthcoming reunion, vow, or journey tied to dharma and tīrtha merit.

What is the force of ‘devadeveśa’ applied to Śiva here?

It asserts Śiva’s supremacy in the immediate devotional context—typical of Purāṇic sections that alternate or integrate Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava emphases without necessarily contradicting broader sectarian frames.

Does ‘āgamyatām’ imply a command to the woman or to someone else?

Grammatically it is an imperative/passive-style injunction (‘let her come / let her be brought’), implying the speaker directs others to bring her, rather than addressing her directly.