Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 92

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

Devanagari script

न कश्चित्तात केनापि बध्यते हन्यते ऽपि वा वधबन्धौ पूर्वकर्मवश्यौ नृपतिनन्दन

Transliteration

na kaścittāta kenāpi badhyate hanyate 'pi vā vadhabandhau pūrvakarmavaśyau nṛpatinandana

Translation

அன்புள்ளவனே, யாராலும் யாரும் கட்டப்படுவதுமில்லை; கொல்லப்படுவதுமில்லை. அரசகுமாரனே, ‘வதை’வும் ‘பந்தம்’வும் இரண்டும் முன்னைய கர்மத்தின் வசத்திலே உள்ளன.

Speakers

• Śakuni-ṛṣi speaking to a royal youth (nṛpati-nandana) within the narrative frame

Key Themes

• Karma doctrine (pūrva-karma)
• Moral causality vs. apparent agency
• Consolation/Instruction to a prince
• Determinism and responsibility in Itihasa-style narration

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Does the verse deny human agency by saying no one is bound or killed by another?

It rhetorically shifts the ultimate causality to karma-phala: the immediate agent may act, but the fruition (binding/slaying) is said to occur because prior deeds have matured. This is a common Purāṇic way to interpret suffering without denying ethical accountability.

Why are ‘binding’ and ‘killing’ paired (vadhabandhau)?

The pair covers two typical outcomes in royal/war contexts—capture and death—indicating that whether one is imprisoned or slain, the deeper cause is the ripening of past actions.

Who is the ‘nṛpati-nandana’ here?

The verse addresses a princely figure within the embedded story. Even without the surrounding verses, the honorific signals a didactic moment aimed at royal dharma: rulers must act, yet understand the karmic web behind outcomes.