Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 19

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

Devanagari script

किं वा त्वया द्विजश्रेष्ठ पौराणी न श्रुता कथा या वृत्ता मलये पूर्वं कोशकारसुतस्य तु

Transliteration

kiṃ vā tvayā dvijaśreṣṭha paurāṇī na śrutā kathā yā vṛttā malaye pūrvaṃ kośakārasutasya tu

Translation

śukra: Śukrācārya, preceptor of the Asuras; uvāca: ‘said’; kathayasva: ‘narrate/tell’; mahābāho: ‘mighty-armed’, honorific for a powerful speaker (here, the one being asked to narrate); āśrayām: ‘resting upon/concerned with/centered on’; puṇyā: ‘meritorious, sacred’; mahākautūhalam: ‘great curiosity/keen interest’.

Speakers

• (Narrative frame) A speaker addresses a brāhmaṇa interlocutor (dvijaśreṣṭha)
• introducing a well-known Purāṇic story.

Key Themes

• Kathā-prastāva (story-introduction)
• Authority of Purāṇic tradition
• Sacred geography as narrative setting

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the text emphasize that the story is ‘Purāṇic’ (paurāṇī kathā)?

Calling it ‘Purāṇic’ signals that the account belongs to the recognized corpus of sacred tradition—meant to be heard (śravaṇa), remembered, and transmitted—rather than being a merely local anecdote. It also frames the narrative as carrying dharmic and tīrtha-related significance.

What is the significance of locating the episode in ‘Malaya’?

In Purāṇic geography, Malaya denotes a southern mountainous tract associated with forests, rivers, and pilgrimage circuits. Naming Malaya anchors the tale in a specific sacred landscape, consistent with the Vāmana Purāṇa’s strong geographical orientation.

Who is the ‘kośakārasuta’ and why mention his social identity?

The ‘son of the kośakāra (silk-worker/weaver)’ marks the protagonist by occupation and lineage, a common Purāṇic technique to highlight dharma operating across social strata and to foreground a morally exemplary episode arising outside royal or priestly elites.