Vamana Purana — Jabali on the Banyan Tree, Shloka 64

Jabali Bound on the Banyan Tree and Nandayanti’s Appeal at Sri-Kantha on the Yamuna

Devanagari script

ततः सा प्राह तमृषिं यथातथ्यं कृशोदरी श्रुत्वार्षिः कोपमगमदशपच्छिल्पिनां वपम्

Transliteration

tataḥ sā prāha tamṛṣiṃ yathātathyaṃ kṛśodarī śrutvārṣiḥ kopamagamadaśapacchilpināṃ vapam

Translation

Bấy giờ người nữ eo thon ấy thuật lại cho vị hiền triết đúng như sự việc đã xảy ra. Nghe xong, vị hiền triết bừng giận—nhắm vào kẻ thợ thủ công tội lỗi (hoặc: mười người thợ) và vào hành vi/tình cảnh khốn hèn ấy.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/हेतुवाचक (adverb: ‘then/thereupon’)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular feminine

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आह्/अह् (धातु; √अह्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• तम्: to him
• तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular masculine

• ऋषिम्: the sage
• ऋषिम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular masculine

• यथा: as
• यथा: Prakaraṇa (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यथार्थ/प्रकारवाचक (as/how)

• तथ्यम्: the truth
• तथ्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तथ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular neuter; object of ‘said’

• कृशोदरी: slender-waisted (woman)
• कृशोदरी: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृश + उदरिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular feminine; bahuvrīhi ‘she who has a thin belly/waist’

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• ऋषिः: the sage
• ऋषिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular masculine

• कोपम्: anger
• कोपम्: Karma (कर्म) (object of ‘went to/attained’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular masculine

• अगमत्: went/attained
• अगमत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• अशपৎ: cursed
• अशपৎ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शप् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• शिल्पिनाम्: of the artisans/craftsmen
• शिल्पिनाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिल्पिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; Genitive plural masculine

• वपम्: body/form
• वपम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular neuter; object of ‘cursed’

Speakers

• The young woman narrating to the ṛṣi; narrator voice reports the ṛṣi’s reaction

Key Themes

• Truthful confession (yathātathya)
• Moral outrage of a sage
• Social-ethical transgression leading to curse/boon dynamics

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the narrative function of ‘yathātathyaṃ’ (exactly as it happened)?

It establishes the maiden’s testimony as reliable, legitimizing the sage’s subsequent curse as dharmically grounded rather than impulsive or based on hearsay.

Who are the ‘śilpinaḥ’ (artisans) here?

Within Purāṇic storytelling, ‘śilpin’ can denote craftsmen involved in a morally compromised act (e.g., coercion, deception, or illicit arrangement). The verse frames them as culpable agents whose wrongdoing triggers ascetic retribution.

Why is the sage’s anger important in tīrtha-oriented chapters?

In many tīrtha-māhātmyas, a sage’s curse/boon becomes the etiological mechanism that explains a local feature, a transformation, or a rule of conduct associated with the sacred landscape.