Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 31

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

Devanagari script

सा चाभ्येत्य जले पुण्ये स्नात्वा मध्यमपुष्करे ददर्श कन्यात्रितयमुभयोस्तटयोः स्थितम्

Transliteration

sā cābhyetya jale puṇye snātvā madhyamapuṣkare dadarśa kanyātritayamubhayostaṭayoḥ sthitam

Translation

Она подошла к святой воде и, омывшись в Мадхьяма-Пушкаре, увидела трех дев, стоявших на обоих берегах.

Speakers

• Narrator to the listening audience (frame not explicit in excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Brahmā (strongly implied by Puṣkara tīrtha complex)

Key Themes

• Snāna (ritual bathing) as tīrtha-activation
• Puṣkara sacred topography (differentiated lakes)
• Epiphanic sight/encounter at a pilgrimage site

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is ‘Madhyama-Puṣkara’ in Purāṇic geography?

It denotes the ‘Middle Puṣkara’—a distinct node within the Puṣkara sacred landscape, typically presented as a complex of multiple Puṣkaras (e.g., differentiated lakes/tīrthas). The verse treats it as a specific bathing-place with recognized sanctity.

Why is bathing (snāna) mentioned immediately before the vision of the three maidens?

In māhātmya narrative logic, snāna purifies and makes one fit to perceive or participate in sacred events. The sequencing implies that the tīrtha bath is a threshold act leading to the ensuing encounter.

What does ‘standing on both banks’ suggest about the scene?

It spatially maps the encounter onto the lake’s geography: the maidens occupy the liminal edges (staṭa) of the sacred water, emphasizing the tīrtha as the central ritual and narrative axis.