Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 30

Portents at Bali’s Sacrifice and the Kośakāra’s Son: The Power of Past Karma

Devanagari script

स प्राह न त्वया भद्रे भद्रमाचरितं त्विति महाज्ञानी द्विजेन्द्रो ऽसौ ततः शप्स्यति कोपितः

Transliteration

sa prāha na tvayā bhadre bhadramācaritaṃ tviti mahājñānī dvijendro 'sau tataḥ śapsyati kopitaḥ

Translation

เขากล่าวว่า “โอ้สตรีผู้ประเสริฐ การที่เจ้าทำเช่นนี้มิใช่กุศลกรรมเลย พราหมณ์ผู้เป็นใหญ่ผู้นั้นเป็นมหาปราชญ์ ครั้นกริ้วแล้วจักสาปเรา”

Speakers

• Ghaṭodara speaking to his wife

Key Themes

• Brāhmaṇa-tejas (spiritual potency) and śāpa
• Karmic consequence of adharma
• Recognition of moral error within rākṣasa society
• Power of knowledge (jñāna) as protective force

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is implied by calling the brāhmaṇa “dvijendra” and “mahājñānī”?

These titles signal not merely social rank but spiritual efficacy: learning, tapas, and mantra-knowledge make his speech performative. In Purāṇic narrative, such a person’s curse is not a mere wish but a force that reshapes fate.

Is this verse a moral teaching or just plot development?

Both. Plot-wise it foreshadows the curse; doctrinally it teaches that adharma—especially against a dvija—produces immediate and disproportionate consequences because it violates a locus of dharma-protection.

How does this connect to the Vāmana Purāṇa’s broader concerns?

Even when not naming a tīrtha, the text often frames dharma through ‘sacred loci’—tīrthas, temples, and also brāhmaṇa-āśramas/homes. This episode reinforces the Purāṇic principle that sacred power is embedded in persons and places, and offenses against them generate binding results.