Vamana Purana — Kali's Complaint to Brahma (Part 2), Shloka 20

Kali’s Complaint to Brahma and the Arrival of Śrī (Jayaśrī) in Bali’s Reign

Devanagari script

रक्तवाजिसामारूढा रक्ताङ्गी राजसी हि सा पीताम्बरा पीरवर्णा पीतमाल्यानुलेपना

Transliteration

raktavājisāmārūḍhā raktāṅgī rājasī hi sā pītāmbarā pīravarṇā pītamālyānulepanā

Translation

അവൾ ചുവന്ന കുതിരയിൽ ആരൂഢയായി, ചുവന്ന അവയവങ്ങളുള്ളവളായി, നിശ്ചയമായും രാജസീ സ്വഭാവമുള്ളവളായിരുന്നു; (മറ്റൊരുത്തി) പീതാംബരധാരിണി, പീതവർണ്ണയുമായ്, പീതമാലയും പീതാനുലേപനവും ധരിച്ചവളായിരുന്നു.

Speakers

• Not specified in the provided excerpt (descriptive narration).

Key Themes

• Guṇa theory applied to forms (rajas)
• Color symbolism (red/yellow)
• Vāhana-based differentiation (horse)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the significance of explicitly calling one figure rājasī?

It anchors the iconographic color-coding in Sāṃkhya/guṇa language: red and dynamic mounts (horse) align with rajas—energy, action, and force—distinguishing this manifestation’s temperament and likely function.

Why is yellow (pīta) introduced after red?

Purāṇic sets often enumerate multiple differentiated attendants or śaktis. Yellow commonly connotes prosperity, radiance, and auspicious vitality; in Vaiṣṇava contexts it can also echo Viṣṇu’s pītāmbara motif, though the verse itself does not name Viṣṇu.

Do these verses mention any tīrtha or geographic marker?

No. Despite the Vāmana Purāṇa’s strong geographic orientation, these three verses are purely descriptive (forms, colors, mounts) and contain no explicit toponyms (rivers, lakes, forests, or tīrthas).