Jabali Bound by the Monkey: Nandayanti’s Ordeal and the Yamuna–Hiranyavati Sacred Corridor
तां च तद् वनमायान्तीं समं पित्रा वराननाम् ददर्श वानरश्रेष्ठः प्रजग्राह बालत् करे
tāṃ ca tad vanamāyāntīṃ samaṃ pitrā varānanām dadarśa vānaraśreṣṭhaḥ prajagrāha bālat kare
At nang siya—may magandang mukha—ay papalapit sa gubat na iyon kasama ang kanyang ama, nakita siya ng pinakadakila sa mga unggoy at hinawakan ang kanyang kamay, inagaw siya mula sa dalaga.
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The “foremost monkey” acts as the immediate agent provoking Kandara’s rage. Purāṇic narratives often use non-human heroic types (vānara, yakṣa, gandharva, etc.) to catalyze conflict, leading into larger mythic consequences in the surrounding episode.
Bāla/bālā can denote youthfulness and vulnerability; in context it emphasizes that she is a young maiden and highlights the impropriety/violence of the seizure. It need not imply infancy, but it does stress her being overpowered.
Not from this verse alone. The text says only “tad vanam” (“that forest”), which is deictic and depends on prior context. Without adjacent verses naming the site, no specific sacred geography can be securely identified.