Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 95

Shukra’s Curse on King Danda and Andhaka’s Challenge to Shiva

Devanagari script

इत्यक्ते प्राह स मुनिस्तं वानरपतिं वचः मम पुत्रस्त्वयोद्बद्धो जटासु वटपादपे

Transliteration

ityakte prāha sa munistaṃ vānarapatiṃ vacaḥ mama putrastvayodbaddho jaṭāsu vaṭapādape

Translation

Pagkasabi nito, sinabi ng pantas sa pinuno ng mga unggoy: “Ang aking anak ay itinali mo sa mga buhol na tila jata sa punong balete (banyan).”

Speakers

• A sage (muni) speaking to the Vānarapati (monkey-king).

Key Themes

• Tirtha-legend etiology
• Bondage and release motif
• Sacred tree symbolism (vaṭa)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is the banyan described as having ‘jaṭā’ (matted locks)?

Purāṇic and kāvya usage often likens the banyan’s hanging aerial roots to ascetic ‘jaṭā’. The verse exploits this metaphor to depict the tree as a living ascetic-like presence and to explain how someone could be ‘bound’ within its tangled roots.

What kind of narrative is this within the Vāmana Purāṇa?

This reads as an itihāsa-style local legend embedded in a tirtha-mahātmya: a concrete event (a child bound in a banyan) provides an origin-story for a place’s sanctity or a ritual practice associated with that landmark.

Does this verse indicate a Vaiṣṇava or Śaiva doctrinal point?

Not directly. The verse is primarily narrative and topographical (sacred landmark). Any sectarian framing would come from surrounding verses that identify the tirtha, presiding deity, or the merit (puṇya) of visiting it.