Shloka 14

Jabali Bound by the Monkey — Jabali Bound by the Monkey: Nandayanti’s Ordeal and the Yamuna–Hiranyavati Sacred Corridor

Devanagari script

अथापश्यत् समायान्तमञ्जनं गुह्यकोत्तमम् नन्दयन्त्या समं पुत्र्या गत्वा जिगमिषुः कपिः

Transliteration

athāpaśyat samāyāntamañjanaṃ guhyakottamam nandayantyā samaṃ putryā gatvā jigamiṣuḥ kapiḥ

Translation

Então o macaco, pretendendo ir até lá, viu aproximar-se Anjanā—excelentíssima entre os Guhyakas—junto com Nandayantī e sua filha.

Speakers

• Narrator voice (Purāṇic narration) describing events; no direct speech in this verse.

Primary Deities

• Kubera (implied via Guhyakas)

Key Themes

• Tirtha Mahima
• Encounter with semi-divine beings (Guhyakas)
• Pilgrimage/approach to a sacred place

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who are the ‘Guhyakas’ and why is Anjanā called ‘guhyakottamā’ (best among them)?

Guhyakas are semi-divine beings associated with Kubera and with ‘hidden’ (guhya) places—caves, forests, and liminal sacred geographies. Calling Anjanā ‘guhyakottamā’ elevates her status and signals that the episode belongs to a tirtha-landscape where such beings guard or inhabit sacred zones.

Is ‘Anjanā’ here a place (tirtha) or a person?

In this śloka the grammar and epithets (‘guhyakottamā’) indicate a person approaching, not a place. However, Purāṇic tīrtha narratives often personify or closely associate figures with specific bathing-places; the name may also echo a local tīrtha tradition.

What is the narrative function of introducing Nandayantī and her daughter?

Their presence frames the scene as a social/ritual movement toward a sacred act (often bathing or visiting a tīrtha). It also sets up recognition, misunderstanding, or fear in the subsequent verses, which is a common Purāṇic device to transition into the tīrtha’s ‘mahima’ (power/legend).