Vamana Purana — Kali's Complaint to Brahma (Part 2), Shloka 24

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

Devanagari script

तां प्रादाद् देवराजाय मनेव तत्समेषु च पीताम्बरा या सुभगा रथस्था कनकप्रभा

Transliteration

tāṃ prādād devarājāya maneva tatsameṣu ca pītāmbarā yā subhagā rathasthā kanakaprabhā

Translation

เขาได้ถวายเธอแด่พระอินทร์ผู้เป็นราชาแห่งเทวดา และยังแก่ผู้มีฐานะเสมอกันด้วย นางผู้เป็นมงคล ทรงอาภรณ์เหลือง ประทับบนรถศึก เปล่งรัศมีดุจทองคำ.

Speakers

• Narratorial voice within the Saroma/Sarasvatī-māhātmya section (speaker not explicit in the given excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Indra
• Sarasvatī (as river-goddess, implied by the passage sequence)

Key Themes

• Tīrtha-mahima and river-goddess theology
• Varṇa/adhikāra-based manifestations (differentiated forms)
• Divine bestowal and cosmic distribution

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Sarasvatī described with royal insignia like a chariot and golden radiance?

In Purāṇic māhātmyas, rivers are personified as goddesses whose ‘forms’ (rūpa) signal their function and the class of beings they bless. A chariot (ratha) and golden luster (kanakaprabhā) are markers of sovereignty and celestial splendor, aligning this manifestation with Indra and the deva-sphere.

Does ‘bestowed upon Indra’ mean the river physically belongs to Indra?

Not in a literal territorial sense. The idiom ‘prādāt’ here functions theologically: it indicates a dispensation of grace/association—Sarasvatī’s auspicious aspect is said to be allotted to Indra and those of comparable station (tatsama).

How does this verse fit a geography-oriented Purāṇa?

Vāmana Purāṇa often frames geography through sacral personification: a river is not only a physical feature but also a deity with multiple ‘access points’ (forms, tīrthas, and ritual eligibilities). This verse contributes to that mapping by linking a specific divine form to a specific cosmic constituency (devas).