Jabali on the Banyan Tree Shloka 20 - Vamana Purana | Malay | Vedapath

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Vamana Purana — Jabali on the Banyan Tree, Shloka 20

Jabali Bound on the Banyan Tree and Nandayanti’s Appeal at Sri-Kantha on the Yamuna

Devanagari script

आसीद् दण्डो नाम नृपः प्रभूतबलवाहनः स च वव्रे महातेजाः पौरोहित्याय भार्गवम्

Transliteration

āsīd daṇḍo nāma nṛpaḥ prabhūtabalavāhanaḥ sa ca vavre mahātejāḥ paurohityāya bhārgavam

Translation

Ada seorang raja bernama Daṇḍa, yang memiliki kekuatan serta bala tentera dan kenderaan perang yang melimpah. Raja yang berwibawa itu memilih seorang Bhārgava sebagai pendeta diraja (purohita).

Word by Word

आसीत्there was

दण्डःDaṇḍa

नामby name

नृपःa king

प्रभूतबलवाहनःhaving abundant strength and vehicles/army

सःhe

चand

वव्रेchose/selected

महातेजाःof great splendor

पौरोहित्यायfor priesthood

भार्गवम्Bhārgava (descendant of Bhṛgu)

Speakers

Narrator/teacher-figure continuing instruction to a Daitya; the Daṇḍa episode is introduced as a cautionary tale

Key Themes

Upākhyāna as moral instructionRājadharma and dependence on purohitaBrahminical counsel vs. royal conductPower without restraint

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does appointing a Bhārgava purohita signal in Purāṇic political theology?

It signals legitimacy through Vedic-ritual authority: the king’s sovereignty is ideally guided by a learned priest who maintains rites, auspicious timing, and ethical counsel. The later downfall (implied by the prior verse) becomes sharper: even with proper institutional support, the king’s personal adharma can undo him.

Does ‘prabhūtabalavāhanaḥ’ mean only ‘strong’, or something more technical?

It suggests a fully equipped kingship—troops (bala) and logistical capacity (vāhana: mounts, chariots, conveyances). The text underscores that material power and infrastructure do not prevent moral collapse.

Why introduce the purohita before narrating the transgression?

Purāṇas often set the dharmic stage first (king + priestly guidance) to show that the failure is not due to ignorance alone but to willful surrender to kāma—making the exemplum more forceful for the Daitya addressee.