Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 87

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

Devanagari script

तामन्वेव कपिः प्रायाद् दृष्टो जाबालिना तथा दृष्ट्वैव पितरं पार्थिवं च महाबलम्

Transliteration

tāmanveva kapiḥ prāyād dṛṣṭo jābālinā tathā dṛṣṭvaiva pitaraṃ pārthivaṃ ca mahābalam

Translation

तो वानर तिच्या मागे गेला; आणि जाबालीने त्याला पाहिले. मग आपल्या पित्याला व महाबली राजाला पाहून त्याने तदनुसार वर्तन केले.

Speakers

• Narrator voice within the Purāṇic dialogue (exact interlocutors not provided in prompt)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

Key Themes

• Recognition scene (darśana)
• Interweaving of ascetic (Jābāli) and royal (pārthiva) spheres
• Pursuit/following motif in sacred landscape narratives

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is Jābāli in this passage?

Jābāli is presented as a named observer—typically a sage/ascetic in Purāṇic idiom—whose ‘seeing’ (darśana) legitimizes the event as witnessed within a dharmic frame. Without the surrounding verses, his precise lineage/role cannot be fixed, but his presence signals an āśrama-world interface with the royal narrative.

Why does the verse juxtapose ‘father’ and ‘king’?

Purāṇic narration often pairs familial authority (pitṛ) with political authority (pārthiva). The monkey’s recognition of both suggests a moment of accountability and social order reasserting itself within the sacred setting.

Does this verse add any geographical data?

Not explicitly. It continues the action near the previously mentioned river and the locale ‘Supuṇya,’ but no additional toponyms (river/forest/tīrtha names) appear in this śloka.