Vamana Purana — Chanda & Munda Discover Katyayani, Shloka 7

Chanda and Munda Discover Katyayani; Mahishasura’s Proposal and the Vishnu-Panjara Protection

Devanagari script

मध्यं च तस्यास्त्रिवलीतरङ्गं विभाति दैत्येन्द्र सुरोमराजि भयातुरारोहणकातरस्य कामस्य सोपानमिव प्रयुक्तम्

Transliteration

madhyaṃ ca tasyāstrivalītaraṅgaṃ vibhāti daityendra suromarāji bhayāturārohaṇakātarasya kāmasya sopānamiva prayuktam

Translation

โอ้จอมแห่งไทตยะ ส่วนกลางกายของนางงามด้วยระลอกแห่ง ‘ตรีวลี’ และมีแนวขนอ่อนอันวิจิตร. มันส่องประกายประหนึ่งบันไดที่จัดวางไว้ให้กามเทพ ผู้หวั่นไหวด้วยความเกรงกลัวท่านแต่ยังร้อนรนจะไต่ขึ้นไป

Word by Word

• मध्यम्: the waist/middle
• मध्यम्: कर्ता (कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• त्रिवली-तरङ्गम्: the wave-like triple fold
• त्रिवली-तरङ्गम्: मध्यम्-विशेषण (विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिवली + तरङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (त्रिवल्याः तरङ्गः = wave-like triple fold)

• विभाति: shines, appears
• विभाति: क्रिया (विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; वि- उपसर्ग

• दैत्येन्द्र: O lord of the Daityas
• दैत्येन्द्र: सम्बोधन (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (दैत्यानाम् इन्द्रः)

• सु-रोम-राजि: a beautiful line of body-hair
• सु-रोम-राजि: कर्ता (कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु + रोम + राजि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सु-रोम्णां राजिः = beautiful line of hair)

• भय-आतुर-आरोहण-कातरस्य: of (one) distressed by fear and hesitant to climb
• भय-आतुर-आरोहण-कातरस्य: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भय + आतुर + आरोहण + कातर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (भयेन आतुरः; आरोहणे कातरः)

• कामस्य: of Kāma (Cupid)/desire
• कामस्य: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• सोपानम्: a stair, step-ladder
• सोपानम्: उपमान (उपमा-आश्रय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोपान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इव: like
• इव: सम्बन्ध (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमावाचक

• प्रयुक्तम्: applied/placed
• प्रयुक्तम्: विशेषण (सोपान-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त (PPP) ‘प्रयुक्त’, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपसर्ग प्र-

Speakers

• Not identifiable from verse alone (broader dialogue layer not provided)

Primary Deities

• Kāma (Manmatha) (as poetic reference)

Key Themes

• Kāvya-style śṛṅgāra description
• Alaṅkāra (metaphor of sopāna/staircase)
• Daitya courtly address (daityendra)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "shringara", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse is primarily aesthetic (śṛṅgāra) rather than didactic; it portrays desire (kāma) as a force that ‘ascends’ when beauty is perceived, while still being constrained by fear/respect toward power (addressed as daityendra).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is not a pancalakṣaṇa core-topic unit (sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita) by itself; it functions as narrative ornamentation within an episode (ancillary to vaṃśānucarita/ākhyāna context, depending on the surrounding chapter).

What is the symbolic significance?

The ‘three folds’ (trivalī) and the hair-line (romarājī) are classical beauty markers; the ‘staircase for Kāma’ metaphor symbolizes desire’s stepwise intensification, while ‘fear’ suggests the social/moral boundary that checks passion.