Vamana Purana — Narada Questions Pulastya, Shloka 22

Narada Questions Pulastya: The Vamana Purana Begins and Satī’s Monsoon Lament

Devanagari script

नीलैश्च मेघैश्च समावृतं नभः पुष्षैश्च सर्ज्जा मुकुलैश्च नीपाः फलैश्च बिल्वाः पयसा तथापगाः पत्रैः सपद्मैश्च महासरांसि

Transliteration

nīlaiśca meghaiśca samāvṛtaṃ nabhaḥ puṣṣaiśca sarjjā mukulaiśca nīpāḥ phalaiśca bilvāḥ payasā tathāpagāḥ patraiḥ sapadmaiśca mahāsarāṃsi

Translation

苍穹为乌云所覆；娑尔阇树繁花满枝；尼婆树尽是花蕾。毗罗婆树果实累累；诸河水量充盈；大湖之上遍布叶盖与莲华。

Word by Word

• nīlaiḥ: with dark/blue
• nīlaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nīla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc) or napuṃsaka as adj; Tṛtīyā (instr, 3rd), Bahuvacana; विशेषण of meghaiḥ

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction)

• meghaiḥ: clouds
• meghaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: megha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc), Tṛtīyā (instr), Bahuvacana

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Sam uccaya-nipāta (conjunction)

• samāvṛtam: covered/overcast
• samāvṛtam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√vṛ (धातु) + ta (क्त/कृदन्त)
• Form: Kta-participle (क्त), Napuṃsakalिङ्ग (neut), Prathamā (nom), Ekavacana; predicative with nabhaḥ

• nabhaḥ: sky
• nabhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nabhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakalिङ्ग (neut), Prathamā (nom), Ekavacana

• puṣpaiḥ: with flowers
• puṣpaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakalिङ्ग (neut), Tṛtīyā (instr), Bahuvacana

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• sarjjāḥ: sal trees
• sarjjāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarjjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (fem), Prathamā (nom), Bahuvacana (reading normalized from sarjjā)

• mukulैḥ: with buds
• mukulैḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakalिङ्ग (neut), Tṛtīyā (instr), Bahuvacana

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• nīpāḥ: kadamba/nīpa trees
• nīpāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc), Prathamā (nom), Bahuvacana

• phalaiḥ: with fruits
• phalaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakalिङ्ग (neut), Tṛtīyā (instr), Bahuvacana

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• bilvāḥ: bilva trees
• bilvāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bilva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masc), Prathamā (nom), Bahuvacana

• payasā: with water/milk (here: water)
• payasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: payas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakalिङ्ग (neut), Tṛtīyā (instr), Ekavacana

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa-avyaya (adverb): ‘likewise’

• apagāḥ: rivers/streams
• apagāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apagā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (fem), Prathamā (nom), Bahuvacana

• patraiḥ: with leaves
• patraiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakalिङ्ग (neut), Tṛtīyā (instr), Bahuvacana

• sa-padmaiḥ: with lotuses
• sa-padmaiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + padma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tṛtīyā (instr), Bahuvacana; avyayībhāva: ‘together with lotuses’ qualifying mahāsarāṃsi

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• mahā-sarāṃsi: great lakes
• mahā-sarāṃsi: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + saras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakalिङ्ग (neut), Prathamā (nom), Bahuvacana; कर्मधारय: ‘great lakes’

Speakers

• Likely Pārvatī (Umā) describing the season to Śiva (context continues in vv. 23–24); outer frame not explicit in given excerpt

Primary Deities

• Shiva
• Parvati

Key Themes

• Shaivism
• Nature imagery
• Householder vs. ascetic ideal
• Vairagya (non-attachment)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse sets a worldly, auspicious seasonal scene—abundance in trees and waters—often used to motivate domestic comfort. In the ensuing dialogue, this external prosperity becomes a foil for Śiva’s ascetic non-possessiveness, highlighting vairāgya and contentment independent of material conditions.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is not sarga/pratisarga material; it belongs more to ākhyāna (narrative discourse) and dharma/ācāra-oriented instruction by exemplifying an ascetic ethic through dialogue—closest to didactic narrative within vamśānucarita/charita-style sections rather than cosmogenesis.

What is the symbolic significance?

Clouds, fruits, and lotus-filled lakes symbolize the fullness of saṃsāric life—beauty, fertility, and comfort. The text uses such fullness to test or contrast Śiva’s stance: true ‘wealth’ is inner tranquility, not accumulation.