Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 56

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

Devanagari script

ततो बहून् वर्षगणान् बभ्रमुस्ते जनास्त्रयः तासामर्थाय शकुनिर्जाबालिः सऋतध्वजः

Transliteration

tato bahūn varṣagaṇān babhramuste janāstrayaḥ tāsāmarthāya śakunirjābāliḥ saṛtadhvajaḥ

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ആ മൂന്നു പേരും അനേകം വർഷസമൂഹങ്ങൾക്കോളം സഞ്ചരിച്ചു. ഉപജീവനത്തിനും ലക്ഷ്യസിദ്ധിക്കും വേണ്ടി അവർ ശകുനി, ജാബാലി, സഋതധ്വജൻ എന്നിവരോടൊപ്പം പോയി.

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic sūta-style narration) continuing the Saro-tirtha account; speaker-to-listener not explicit in the given excerpt.

Key Themes

• Wandering/exile motif
• Artha (livelihood/purpose)
• Tirtha-mahātmya narrative frame (local legend)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who are Śakuni, Jābāli, and Saṛtadhvaja here—sages, kings, or guides?

In this passage they function as named figures connected with the three wanderers’ ‘artha’ (means/purpose). The verse itself does not label them (ṛṣi/rāja), so identification depends on the surrounding chapter narrative; in tirtha-mahātmya sections, such names often denote local lineages, patrons, or intermediaries who facilitate travel, subsistence, or ritual performance.

Does ‘arthāya’ mean ‘for wealth’ or ‘for a purpose’?

Both senses are available. In Purāṇic narrative, artha commonly covers livelihood/support during wandering, but it can also mean ‘to accomplish their objective’ (e.g., reaching a place, fulfilling a vow). The immediate context (roaming for many years) favors ‘means of subsistence/maintenance’ while traveling.

Is any sacred geography specified in this verse?

No explicit river, lake, forest, or tirtha-name appears in 39.56; it is a transitional narrative line within the broader Saro-tirtha context.