Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 40

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

Devanagari script

तं क्षिप्तमात्रं जग्राह कोशकारः स्वकं सुतम् सा चाभ्येत्य ग्रहीतुं स्वं नाशकद् राक्षसी सुतम्

Transliteration

taṃ kṣiptamātraṃ jagrāha kośakāraḥ svakaṃ sutam sā cābhyetya grahītuṃ svaṃ nāśakad rākṣasī sutam

Translation

[{"question": "Why do kings (Raghu, Nṛga) participate in gifting ascetic items?", "answer": "The passage models dharma as cooperative across varṇas: exemplary kings uphold and honor Vedic sanctity by supporting the brahmacārin form of Viṣṇu. It also signals that Bali’s impending ‘gift’ is being framed within a broader culture of dāna."}, {"question": "What does the umbrella (chatra) signify in a Vāmana context?", "answer": "Chatra is a royal emblem of dignity and protection; placed on Vāmana, it paradoxically elevates the humble brahmacārin while foreshadowing his cosmic sovereignty as Trivikrama."}, {"question": "Does this verse contribute to the Vāmana Purāṇa’s sacred-geography agenda?", "answer": "Not directly. It is a ritual-symbolic inventory; no tīrtha, river, or regional toponym appears in the verse."}]

Word by Word

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Speakers

• Narrator voice (Purāṇic narrator) describing events; direct interlocutors not explicit in the verse.

Key Themes

• Protection of offspring
• Conflict between human householders and rākṣasa beings
• Moral tension in local legend
• Tīrtha-mahātmya narrative frame (implied by chapter context)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is the ‘kośakāra’ here, and why is that detail important?

Kośakāra denotes an artisan—commonly a weaver or one who works with cocoons/silk. Purāṇic tīrtha narratives often include non-royal social types (artisans, householders) to show that dharma and divine protection are not limited to kings or sages.

What is the narrative force of the Rākṣasī being unable to seize the child?

The phrasing highlights a sudden reversal: the demoness, typically powerful in such tales, is checked. In tīrtha-mahātmya settings this often foreshadows an unseen merit (puṇya) or protective power associated with the place or with the righteous conduct of the human characters.

Is any sacred geography identifiable from this verse alone?

No. This śloka contains no explicit toponyms. Any geographical identification must come from surrounding verses in Adhyāya 64 (which, in the Vāmana Purāṇa, commonly situate the story within a named tīrtha/region).