Shloka 10

Narada Questions Pulastya — Narada Questions Pulastya: The Vamana Purana Begins and Satī’s Monsoon Lament

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच पुराणं वामनं वक्ष्ये क्रमान्निखिलमादितः अवधानं स्थिरं कृत्वा शृणुष्व मुनिसत्त्म

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca purāṇaṃ vāmanaṃ vakṣye kramānnikhilamāditaḥ avadhānaṃ sthiraṃ kṛtvā śṛṇuṣva munisattma

Translation

పులస్త్యుడు అన్నాడు—నేను వామన పురాణాన్ని ఆది నుండి క్రమంగా సంపూర్ణంగా వివరిస్తాను. స్థిరమైన ఏకాగ్రతతో వినుము, ఓ మునిశ్రేష్ఠా.

Word by Word

• pulastyaḥ: Pulastya
• pulastyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pulastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• purāṇam: Purāṇa
• purāṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• vāmanam: Vāmana (named)
• vāmanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāmana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying purāṇam

• vakṣye: I will tell
• vakṣye: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Future (लृट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• kramāt: in order/stepwise
• kramāt: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन); used adverbially

• nikhilam: entire/all
• nikhilam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nikhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying (purāṇam) understood as 'entirely'

• āditaḥ: from the beginning
• āditaḥ: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन); used adverbially

• avadhānam: attention
• avadhānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avadhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• sthiram: steady
• sthiram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying avadhānam

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), from √kṛ (कृ)

• śṛṇuṣva: listen
• śṛṇuṣva: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• munisattama: O best of sages
• munisattama: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'best among sages'); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada (frame narrator addressing the listener)

Key Themes

• Purana narration
• Śravaṇa (listening) as a religious act
• Guru–śiṣya / sage-to-sage transmission

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse foregrounds śravaṇa (attentive listening) as a discipline: sacred knowledge is not merely heard but received through steadiness (sthiratā) and ordered comprehension (kramāt).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is part of the framing transmission and does not yet instantiate the five marks directly; it functions as an upodghāta (prefatory setup) that precedes sections that may later map onto vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita and other lakṣaṇas.

What is the symbolic significance?

The ‘from the beginning, in order’ emphasis symbolizes dharma as an intelligible cosmic sequence—Purāṇic truth is conveyed as a structured unfolding rather than a random collection of tales.