Vamana Purana — Portents at Bali's Sacrifice, Shloka 37

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

Devanagari script

एतेनाविश्य धर्मिष्ठे भाव्यं भूतेन साम्प्रतम् को ऽप्यटस्माकं छलयितुं सुरूपी भुवि संस्थितः

Transliteration

etenāviśya dharmiṣṭhe bhāvyaṃ bhūtena sāmpratam ko 'pyaṭasmākaṃ chalayituṃ surūpī bhuvi saṃsthitaḥ

Translation

“Having entered (this one), O most righteous (king), something is to be brought about now by a being (of occult power). Some handsome person is stationed on the earth in order to deceive us.”

Speakers

• A minister/counsellor addressing a dharmic ruler (context suggests a royal court; exact names not in the given excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Deception and discernment
• Protection of dharma
• Courtly counsel (mantri-nīti)
• Occult/daemonic agency

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is the ‘surūpī’ (handsome one) and why is beauty emphasized?

In Purāṇic narrative, hostile forces often employ disguise and attractive form to gain access to the righteous. ‘Surūpī’ signals a deliberate strategy: deception through pleasing appearance, a common motif in rākṣasa/āsura plots.

Does ‘bhūta’ here mean a ghost, an element, or a living being?

While ‘bhūta’ can mean ‘ghost/spirit’ in later usage, in Purāṇic Sanskrit it can also mean ‘a being/entity’ broadly. Here it functions as an occult or non-human agent enabling possession or covert action, consistent with courtly suspicion of supernatural interference.

What is the dharmic lesson implied by this warning?

The verse frames dharma as requiring vigilance (viveka). Righteousness alone is not sufficient; one must also recognize ‘chala’ (fraud) and protect the polity from covert threats.