Vamana Purana — Bali Learns of Vamana, Shloka 28

Bali Learns of Vamana in Aditi’s Womb and Prahlada Teaches Refuge in Hari

Devanagari script

शोच्यश्चास्मि न संदेहो येन जातः पिता तव यस्य त्वं कर्कशः पुत्रो जातो देवावमान्यकः

Transliteration

śocyaścāsmi na saṃdeho yena jātaḥ pitā tava yasya tvaṃ karkaśaḥ putro jāto devāvamānyakaḥ

Translation

["Subjugation and containment of demonic forces", "Mythic geomorphology (formation/filling of a chasm)", "Restoration of stability through divine action"]

Speakers

• A speaker who is genealogically connected to the addressee (implied elder/ancestor) rebuking the addressee and lamenting the disgrace brought upon the father/lineage.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (contextual)
• Devas (collective)

Key Themes

• Lineage and moral reputation (kula-yaśas)
• Intergenerational responsibility
• Condemnation of deva-avamāna (contempt for the gods)
• Harshness/cruelty as a moral fault

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the speaker say ‘I too am pitiable’?

The verse expresses shared disgrace: the wrongdoing of a descendant reflects back upon the family line and those causally connected to the father’s birth. It is a Purāṇic way of stating that adharma stains not only the agent but also the honor of the lineage.

What is ‘deva-avamāna’ in Purāṇic ethics?

It is the attitude/act of dishonoring divine beings—here framed as a serious moral deviation. In Purāṇic dharma, reverence toward devas (and especially toward the supreme Lord) is a foundational virtue; contempt signals spiritual and social disorder.

Does this verse imply a specific mythic genealogy?

The excerpt indicates a genealogical relationship (speaker connected to the addressee’s father), but without surrounding verses the exact identities cannot be fixed. In the Vāmana Purāṇa’s narrative style, such lines often occur in admonitions within royal/daitya lineages where impiety is treated as a familial calamity.