Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 48

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

Devanagari script

ततो हाहाकृतं लोकैर्मा पतन्तीं निरीक्ष्य हि ऊचुश्च सिद्धगन्धर्वाः कष्टं सेयं महात्मनः

Transliteration

tato hāhākṛtaṃ lokairmā patantīṃ nirīkṣya hi ūcuśca siddhagandharvāḥ kaṣṭaṃ seyaṃ mahātmanaḥ

Translation

అప్పుడు ఆమె పడిపోతున్నదాన్ని చూసి లోకాలు ‘హాహా!’ అని విలపించాయి—‘ఆమె పడకూడదు!’ అని; సిద్ధులు, గంధర్వులు ఇలా అన్నారు: ‘ఆ మహాత్మునికి ఇది ఘోరమైన విపత్తు.’

Speakers

• Narrator reporting the reaction of ‘lokas’ and of Siddhas and Gandharvas.

Key Themes

• Omen interpreted as impending misfortune
• Celestial witness (Siddha/Gandharva testimony)
• Compassionate alarm of the worlds

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is the ‘she’ (patantīm) in this verse?

The feminine referent is clarified by the next verse: it points to Indradyumna’s queen (mahiṣī). The narrative uses suspense—first presenting the fall and universal alarm, then identifying the person.

Why are Siddhas and Gandharvas specifically mentioned?

They function as authoritative celestial witnesses. Their reaction signals that the event is not merely terrestrial but has cosmic resonance, and that the ‘great-souled one’ (mahātman) is a figure of recognized merit whose household’s distress matters to the worlds.

What does ‘kaṣṭaṃ seyaṃ mahātmanaḥ’ convey?

It frames the fall as a calamity affecting a virtuous person’s destiny—often a cue that a prior karmic cause (curse, vow, or dharma-test) is about to be disclosed in the ensuing narration.