Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 22

Portents at Bali’s Sacrifice and the Kośakāra’s Son: The Power of Past Karma

Devanagari script

मुद्गलस्य मुनेः पुत्रो ज्ञानविज्ञानपारगः कोशकार इति ख्यात आसीद् ब्रह्मंस्तपोरतः

Transliteration

mudgalasya muneḥ putro jñānavijñānapāragaḥ kośakāra iti khyāta āsīd brahmaṃstaporataḥ

Translation

{"scene_description": "The instant the water falls, Vāmana blossoms into Trivikrama—towering, many-formed, containing galaxies and worlds within his limbs—casting Bali and the assembly into stunned reverence.", "primary_figures": ["Trivikrama (Vishnu)", "Bali", "Devas and sages (witnesses)"], "setting": "Cosmic expansion emerging from a yajña ground, transitioning into the three worlds", "color_palette": ["cosmic blue", "gold", "white radiance", "violet", "emerald"], "tanjore_prompt": "Tanjore, monumental Trivikrama with gold-leaf halo and ornaments, one foot poised to stride, miniature Bali and attendants below, celestial beings in arches, rich blues and gold, high devotional grandeur", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature, vertical composition showing Vāmana transforming into vast Trivikrama, soft clouds and layered worlds, delicate devas in the sky, pastel blues and pinks, awe-filled faces", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural, gigantic Vishnu-Trivikrama with bold outlines, dynamic raised leg, swirling cloud bands, devas and asuras at maVamana Purana,64,23,VamP 64.23,tasyāsīd dayitā sādhvī dharmiṣṭhā nāmataḥ sutā satī vātsyāyanasutā dharmaśīlā pativratā,तस्यासीद् दयिता साध्वी धर्मिष्ठा नामतः सुता सती वात्स्यायनसुता धर्मशीला पतिव्रता,Vamana-Bali Narrative (Ancillary Genealogical/Didactic Episode),Itihasa/Genealogy (Family Description; Dharma Ideal),Adhyaya 64 (Title uncertain in recensions; continuation describing Kośakāra’s wife),64.23,tasyāsīd dayitā sādhvī dharmiṣṭhā nāmataḥ sutā satī vātsyāyanasutā dharmaśīlā pativratā,tasyāsīd dayitā sādhvī dharmiṣṭhā nāmataḥ sutā | satī vātsyāyana-sutā dharma-śīlā pati-vratā ||,He had a beloved wife

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher voice addressing a Brahmin interlocutor (brahman). (Exact named speakers not present in the given excerpt.)

Key Themes

• Genealogical framing
• Asceticism (tapas)
• Ideal of jñāna-vijñāna (knowledge and realization)
• Character introduction

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the verse pair jñāna and vijñāna for Kośakāra?

In Purāṇic idiom, jñāna often denotes doctrinal or essential knowledge, while vijñāna emphasizes realized discernment—knowledge that has become lived insight. Calling him jñāna-vijñāna-pāraga marks him as both learned and spiritually accomplished, setting a high contrast for what follows in the narrative.

What does the name/epithet ‘Kośakāra’ imply?

Literally ‘maker of a kośa’ (sheath/case/covering). In Purāṇic naming, such epithets can preserve a remembered craft, a symbolic trait (one who ‘fashions coverings’), or a narrative marker. Here it functions primarily as a recognized name while also hinting at themes of ‘sheath’ and ‘inner knowledge’ that Purāṇas sometimes exploit.

Does this verse contain any tīrtha or geographic marker typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

No. This line is purely genealogical/character-introductory; the geography-centered material appears elsewhere in the text, but not in the provided śloka.