Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 42

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

Devanagari script

स चाभ्येत्याब्रवीत् का त्वं यासि देववतीति हि आनीतास्यश्रमात् केन भूपृष्ठान्मेरुपर्वतम्

Transliteration

sa cābhyetyābravīt kā tvaṃ yāsi devavatīti hi ānītāsyaśramāt kena bhūpṛṣṭhānmeruparvatam

Translation

तो वानर जवळ येऊन म्हणाला—‘देवीसारखी फिरणारी तू कोण आहेस? कोणाच्या आश्रमातून तुला भूपृष्ठावरून येथे मेरुपर्वतावर आणले आहे?’

Speakers

• Monkey (kapi) speaking to Vedavatī

Primary Deities

• Meru (as sacred cosmic geography)

Key Themes

• Cosmographic transition (earth to Meru)
• Recognition of divine-like radiance/virtue
• Hermitage culture (āśrama motif)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the monkey ask about being taken ‘from the earth’s surface to Meru’?

The phrasing signals a cosmological displacement: Meru is not merely a mountain but the axial center of the Purāṇic world-system. The question frames Vedavatī as someone whose presence belongs to an elevated, quasi-celestial sphere, prompting inquiry into her origin and the agency that brought her there.

Does ‘devavatī’ imply Vedavatī is a goddess?

Grammatically it is comparative—‘like a goddess.’ In Purāṇic narrative, such language often indicates extraordinary tapas, purity, or tejas (spiritual radiance) rather than literal divinity.

Is the ‘hermitage’ a known tīrtha?

Not in this verse. The term āśrama can denote a sanctified locale associated with a ṛṣi, but without a name it remains a narrative sacred setting rather than a catalogued pilgrimage site.