Vamana Purana — Jabali on the Banyan Tree, Shloka 58

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

Devanagari script

काष्ठान्याहर्तुमपरा वह्निमानेतुमाकुलाः सा च तास्वपि सर्वासु गतासु वनमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

kāṣṭhānyāhartumaparā vahnimānetumākulāḥ sā ca tāsvapi sarvāsu gatāsu vanamuttamam

Translation

有的去取柴薪；有的心神慌乱去取火种。待她们尽皆离去后，她便前往一处上妙之林。

Word by Word

• काष्ठानि: firewood pieces
• काष्ठानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• आहर्तुम्: to fetch
• आहर्तुम्: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + हृ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive); कर्मार्थक (to bring)

• अपराः: others (women)
• अपराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ‘others’ (pronoun-like adjective used substantively)

• वह्निम्: fire
• वह्निम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• आनेतुम्: to bring
• आनेतुम्: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + नी (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive)

• आकुलाः: agitated / distressed
• आकुलाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तासु: among them / in them
• तासु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (also/even)

• सर्वासु: in all (of them)
• सर्वासु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन

• गतासु: when (they) had gone
• गतासु: Sati-saptami (सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √गम् + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• वनम्: forest
• वनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent / best
• उत्तमम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speakers

• Narrator continuing the account to the same addressed interlocutor.

Primary Deities

• Agni (as ‘vahni’, fire, implicitly)

Key Themes

• Funerary intention (firewood and fire)
• Separation and solitary movement
• Forest as a liminal narrative space

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why do the companions seek both firewood and fire?

The paired actions (collecting wood and bringing fire) strongly suggest preparation for cremation rites, consistent with their belief that she has died. This is a common narrative motif preceding a revelation or recovery.

What is implied by vanam uttamam if no forest name is given?

Even unnamed, ‘excellent forest’ functions as a liminal setting—away from society—where transformations, recoveries, encounters, or divine interventions often occur in Purāṇic storytelling.

Is Agni treated as a deity here or merely as fire?

The word vahni can denote both the physical fire and the deity Agni. In ritual contexts (especially cremation), the semantic field naturally includes Agni’s divine agency even when not explicitly personified.