Vamana Purana — Kali's Complaint to Brahma (Part 2), Shloka 31

Kali’s Complaint to Brahma and the Arrival of Śrī (Jayaśrī) in Bali’s Reign

Devanagari script

एतासां च स्वरूपस्तास्तिष्ठन्ति निधयो ऽव्ययाः इतिहासपुराणानि वेदाः साङ्गास्तथोक्तयः

Transliteration

etāsāṃ ca svarūpastāstiṣṭhanti nidhayo 'vyayāḥ itihāsapurāṇāni vedāḥ sāṅgāstathoktayaḥ

Translation

వీటి స్వరూపాలు అవ్యయ నిధులవలె నిలిచివుంటాయి—ఇతిహాసాలు, పురాణాలు, అంగాలతో కూడిన వేదాలు, అలాగే ప్రకటించబడిన ప్రామాణిక ఉపదేశాలు.

Speakers

• Narratorial voice; the excerpt reads as doctrinal enumeration rather than dialogue.

Key Themes

• Scriptures as imperishable treasure
• Authority of Itihāsa–Purāṇa alongside Veda
• Knowledge as a form of wealth (nidhi)
• Personification/ontology of ‘nidhis’

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

How can texts like Itihāsa–Purāṇa and the Vedas be called ‘nidhis’ (treasures)?

The verse uses ‘nidhi’ in a metaphysical sense: enduring repositories of dharma, cosmology, and right conduct. In Purāṇic thought, knowledge is a higher wealth than gold; it is ‘avyaya’ because it does not diminish by being shared and remains efficacious across ages.

Does this verse imply equality of authority between Veda and Purāṇa?

It presents them together as abiding ‘treasures’ rather than making a strict hierarchy. Many Purāṇas argue for the practical indispensability of Itihāsa–Purāṇa as Vedic meaning made accessible, while still acknowledging the Veda as foundational revelation.

Who are ‘they’ whose forms remain as these treasures?

Given the preceding reference to ‘those women’ and Śrī Devī, the passage can be read as linking personified prosperity/treasury-powers to concrete manifestations—here, the enduring forms of sacred knowledge that sustain order and kingship.