Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 115

Shukra’s Curse on King Danda and Andhaka’s Challenge to Shiva

Devanagari script

किमेतदिति चोक्त्वैव प्रजग्मुर्हाटकेश्वरम् आरुह्य बलभीं तास्तु समुदैक्षन्त सर्वशः

Transliteration

kimetaditi coktvaiva prajagmurhāṭakeśvaram āruhya balabhīṃ tāstu samudaikṣanta sarvaśaḥ

Translation

Сказав: «Что это?», они тотчас отправились к Хāṭакешваре; и, поднявшись на Балабхī, те женщины оглядели во все стороны широкое пространство.

Speakers

• Narrator voice (contextual narration of the women’s movement; no direct speech except the quoted ‘kim etat’)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Īśvara)

Key Themes

• Tīrtha-yātrā movement
• Darśana (seeking sight of a sacred place/person)
• Wonder leading to pilgrimage action

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is ‘Hāṭakeśvara’ in this context?

It functions as a named Śaiva sacred station (Īśvara-sthāna). The compound suggests ‘hāṭaka’ (gold) + ‘īśvara’ (Lord), a common Purāṇic pattern for local Śiva-liṅga sites whose names encode a local legend or a perceived radiance/wealth of the place.

Is ‘Balabhī’ a city (Valabhī) or a structural ‘balabhī’ (terrace/pavilion)?

The verse uses āruhya (“having climbed/ascended”), which strongly supports a topographic/architectural sense: an elevated platform, ridge, or named height used as a lookout. Some traditions also know Valabhī as a place-name; here the syntax favors a vantage point within the tīrtha landscape.

Why is the act of ‘looking in all directions’ significant in tīrtha narratives?

Purāṇic tīrtha sections often mark a transition from travel to revelation: the pilgrims reach a height, survey the sacred terrain, and then encounter a sign, sage, or deity-linked phenomenon that explains the site’s mahimā.