Vamana Purana — Kurukshetra & Prithudaka Tirtha, Shloka 34

Kurukshetra, Pṛthūdaka Tīrtha, and the Marriage of Saṃvaraṇa with Tapatī

Devanagari script

दर्शनादेव स नृपः काममार्गणपीडितः जातः सा च तमीक्ष्यैव कामबाणातुराभवत्

Transliteration

darśanādeva sa nṛpaḥ kāmamārgaṇapīḍitaḥ jātaḥ sā ca tamīkṣyaiva kāmabāṇāturābhavat

Translation

ਕੇਵਲ ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਉਹ ਰਾਜਾ ਕਾਮ ਦੇ ਤੀਰਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਪੀੜਤ ਹੋ ਗਿਆ; ਅਤੇ ਉਹ ਵੀ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਵੇਖਦੇ ਹੀ ਕਾਮ-ਬਾਣਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਵਿਆਕੁਲ ਹੋ ਗਈ।

Word by Word

• darśanāt: from (that) sight
• darśanāt: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphasis)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• nṛpaḥ: the king
• nṛpaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• kāma-mārgaṇa-pīḍitaḥ: tormented by Love's arrows
• kāma-mārgaṇa-pīḍitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa of Karta (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + mārgaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + pīḍ (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (कामस्य मार्गणैः पीडितः / काममार्गणपीडितः); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (nṛpaḥ)

• jātaḥ: became
• jātaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) used predicatively; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (अभूत्/बभूव-अर्थे)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• īkṣya: having seen
• īkṣya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: īkṣ (धातु) + lyap (कृत्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): ‘having seen’

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphasis)

• kāma-bāṇa-āturā: distressed by Love's arrows
• kāma-bāṇa-āturā: Viśeṣaṇa of Karta (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + bāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ātura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (कामस्य बाणैः आतुरा); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (sā)

• abhavat: became; was
• abhavat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect, past), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speakers

• Narrative voice within the Purāṇic frame (often Pulastya → Nārada
• not explicit here)

Primary Deities

• Kāma (as personified desire)

Key Themes

• Kāma and the psychology of attachment
• Mutual attraction
• Ethics of self-control (implicit)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse dramatizes the speed with which desire can arise from sensory contact; dharma literature repeatedly recommends mastering the senses (indriya-nigraha) so that kingship and personal conduct are not driven by impulse.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

It functions as Vamśānucarita-style episode content—an interpersonal turning point within a broader dynastic or exemplary narrative.

What is the symbolic significance?

Kāma’s ‘arrows’ symbolize involuntary mental agitation (vṛtti-kṣobha) caused by saṃskāras and sense contact. The mutuality (‘she too’) highlights desire as a reciprocal binding force (bandhana) that propels plot and karma.