Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 83

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

Devanagari script

भयो गतश्च नरकं परदारनिषेवणात् मुक्तो वर्षसहस्रान्ते जातो ऽहं श्वेतगर्दभः

Transliteration

bhayo gataśca narakaṃ paradāraniṣevaṇāt mukto varṣasahasrānte jāto 'haṃ śvetagardabhaḥ

Translation

பிறனுடைய மனைவியுடன் உறவு கொண்டதனால் நான் கொடிய நரகத்திற்குச் சென்றேன்; ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகள் முடிவில் விடுதலை பெற்று வெள்ளைக் கழுதையாகப் பிறந்தேன்.

Speakers

• First-person speaker continuing autobiographical karmic account to the chapter’s interlocutor(s) (not provided).

Key Themes

• Para-dāra (adultery) as grave sin
• Naraka and timed punishment
• Rebirth in animal womb (tiryak-yoni)
• Moral didacticism

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is ‘paradāraniṣevaṇa’ singled out so strongly?

In dharma literature, violating another’s marriage is treated as a major social and ritual transgression because it destabilizes lineage (gotra/vaṃśa), household order (gṛhastha-dharma), and trust—hence its frequent linkage with naraka and degraded rebirth.

What is the function of specifying ‘a thousand years’ in hell?

Puranas often quantify punishment to underscore proportional karmic fruition and to make the moral lesson vivid. The number also signals that release is possible after expiation is exhausted, but the residual imprint can still yield an animal rebirth.

Why a ‘white donkey’ specifically?

The donkey is a common emblem of burden, humiliation, and low social valuation in Sanskrit narrative. The ‘white’ descriptor individualizes the rebirth for recognition within the story and may mark an unusual, memorable form rather than a separate doctrinal category.