Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 94

Portents at Bali’s Sacrifice and the Kośakāra’s Son: The Power of Past Karma

Devanagari script

गतो ऽस्मि नरकं भूयस्तस्मान्मुक्तो ऽभवं शुकः महारण्ये तथा बद्धः शबरेण दुरात्मना

Transliteration

gato 'smi narakaṃ bhūyastasmānmukto 'bhavaṃ śukaḥ mahāraṇye tathā baddhaḥ śabareṇa durātmanā

Translation

{"scene_description": "A celestial festival: apsarases dance in coordinated circles, divine singers chant, vidyādharas play instruments, while devas, asuras, and siddhas stand together offering stuti toward the divine presence.", "primary_figures": ["Apsarases", "Surendra-gāyanāḥ (celestial singers)", "Vidyādharas", "Devas", "Asuras", "Siddhas"], "setting": "Heavenly amphitheater or court with cloud terraces, lotus banners, and instrument ensembles", "color_palette": ["saffron", "turquoise", "pearl-white", "rose", "lapis-blue", "gold"], "tanjore_prompt": "Tanjore style, gold leaf accents, grand svarga court with apsarases in jeweled costumes dancing, vidyādharas playing vīṇā and mṛdaṅga, devas and asuras in orderly tiers offering añjali, ornate arches and lotus motifs", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature, soft pastel clouds and terraces, graceful apsarases mid-dance, slender musicians with vīṇā and flute, mixed assembly of devas-asuras-siddhas with gentle faces, lyrical movement and delicate detailing", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural, bold rhythmic figures, apsarases in dynamic poses, instrument players with chenda-like drums and cymbals, stylized devas/asuras with cleVamana Purana,64,95,VamP 64.95,pañjare kṣipya vikrīto vaṇikputrāya śāline tenāpyantaḥ puravare yuvatīnāṃ samīpataḥ,पञ्जरे क्षिप्य विक्रीतो वणिक्पुत्राय शालिने तेनाप्यन्तः पुरवरे युवतीनां समीपतः,Saromahatmya,Narrative exemplum (social peril) within Tirtha Mahima,Adhyaya 64 (Saro-mahātmya context; continuation of captivity narrative),64.95,pañjare kṣipya vikrīto vaṇikputrāya śāline tenāpyantaḥ puravare yuvatīnāṃ samīpataḥ,pañjare kṣipya vikrīto vaṇik-putrāya śāline | tenāpy antaḥ puravare yuvatīnāṃ samīpataḥ ||,“Having been thrown into a cage

Word by Word

:

:

Speakers

• Unnamed narrator (a suffering being recounting past bondage) to Śuka (listener/interlocutor) within the Saromāhātmya frame

Key Themes

• Bondage and release (bandha–mokṣa)
• Karmic consequence (naraka experience)
• Didactic exemplum within tīrtha discourse

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Śuka addressed here—does it indicate a larger dialogue frame?

Yes. Addressing Śuka typically signals a didactic narration embedded in a dialogue (often a sage-to-sage transmission). Here it functions as an exemplum: a personal testimony of repeated downfall and temporary release, used to sharpen the moral force of the surrounding tīrtha-mahima teaching.

What does ‘Śabara’ imply in Purāṇic narrative usage?

Śabara commonly denotes a forest-dwelling hunter/fowler community. In narrative rhetoric it can mark the peril of wilderness life—capture, trade, and exploitation—rather than serving as an ethnographic claim. The epithet durātmanā (‘wicked-minded’) individualizes blame to the captor.

Is any specific sacred place named in this verse?

No named tīrtha, river, or lake appears here; only the generic ‘mahāraṇya’ (great forest). The verse is primarily narrative setup, likely leading into a contrast with the liberating power of a specific tīrtha described nearby in the chapter.