Shloka 26

Jabali Bound by the Monkey — Jabali Bound by the Monkey: Nandayanti’s Ordeal and the Yamuna–Hiranyavati Sacred Corridor

Devanagari script

स तामाह महाभागे बद्धो ऽस्मि कपिना वटे जटास्वेवं सुदुष्टेन जीवामि तपसो बलात्

Transliteration

sa tāmāha mahābhāge baddho 'smi kapinā vaṭe jaṭāsvevaṃ suduṣṭena jīvāmi tapaso balāt

Translation

అతడు ఆమెతో అన్నాడు—“హే మహాభాగే! నేను కపినావట వద్ద బంధించబడ్డాను. ఈ అత్యంత దుష్టుడు నా జటల్లో బిగిగా పట్టి ఉంచాడు; అయినా తపస్సు బలంతో నేను జీవిస్తున్నాను।”

Speakers

• Unnamed male ascetic/figure speaking to an unnamed noble woman (contextual dialogue within the tirtha narrative of Adhyaya 38).

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Maheśvara) (contextual)

Key Themes

• Tapas (ascetic power sustaining life)
• Bondage and endurance
• Tirtha-associated myth (etiology of a sacred spot)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is implied by being “bound in the jaṭās” (matted locks)?

In Purāṇic idiom, jaṭā signifies ascetic identity and accumulated tapas. Being bound within the jaṭā suggests a supernatural or hostile constraint placed upon an ascetic’s very seat of power; the verse stresses that survival continues only through tapas-bala.

Why is a banyan (vaṭa) singled out as a location?

Vaṭa trees commonly serve as fixed sacred landmarks in tirtha literature. Naming a specific vaṭa (here, Kapinā-vaṭa) anchors the myth to a pilgrim-recognizable site, turning narrative memory into geography.

Does this verse teach a doctrinal point or mainly establish a place-myth?

Primarily it functions as place-myth (sthala-purāṇa): the personal ordeal is narrated to explain the sanctity/identity of a named spot. Secondarily it conveys the Purāṇic valuation of tapas as life-sustaining spiritual force.