Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 107

Shukra’s Curse on King Danda and Andhaka’s Challenge to Shiva

Devanagari script

जग्मुर्हृष्टा रथेभ्यस्ते घृताची दिवमुत्पतत् तामन्वेव महावेगः स कपिः प्लवतां वरः

Transliteration

jagmurhṛṣṭā rathebhyaste ghṛtācī divamutpatat tāmanveva mahāvegaḥ sa kapiḥ plavatāṃ varaḥ

Translation

അവർ ഹർഷത്തോടെ രഥങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് പുറപ്പെട്ടു; ഘൃതാചീ സ്വർഗത്തിലേക്ക് ചാടിപ്പോയി. അവളെ ഉടൻ അനുഗമിച്ച് മഹാവേഗമുള്ള, ചാടുന്നവരിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠനായ ആ കപിയും പോയി.

Speakers

• Narrator describing the transition: the group departs; Ghṛtācī ascends; the kapi follows

Primary Deities

• Ghṛtācī (apsaras; celestial being)

Key Themes

• Apsaras and celestial ascent
• Extraordinary mobility (mahāvega, plavatām varaḥ)
• Narrative linkage between earthly tīrtha-space and heavenly realm

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the narrative function of Ghṛtācī’s ascent to heaven here?

It marks her as a celestial being whose movements transcend human geography, and it propels the plot toward a union or encounter that will produce the foretold mighty offspring.

Why emphasize “plavatām varaḥ” and “mahāvega”?

These epithets establish the kapi as uniquely capable of pursuing a heavenly apsaras—highlighting superhuman vigor and setting up the plausibility of crossing realms.

How does this relate to the Vāmana Purāṇa’s geographic emphasis?

Even within geography-centered tīrtha sections, the text often embeds mythic episodes that connect a terrestrial sacred landscape (river-bathing, rites) with cosmographic layers (heaven), thereby magnifying the tīrtha’s sanctity and narrative prestige.