Vamana Purana — Narada Questions Pulastya, Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

किमर्थं सा परित्यज्य स्वरीरं वरानना जाता हिमवतो गेहे गिरीन्द्रस्य महात्मनः

Transliteration

kimarthaṃ sā parityajya svarīraṃ varānanā jātā himavato gehe girīndrasya mahātmanaḥ

Translation

那位容颜姣好的女神为何舍弃自身之躯，而转生于大心之山王希摩伐特（Himavat）之家？

Word by Word

• kim: what (for)
• kim: Prayojana/Hetu (प्रयोजन/हेतु-अर्थे)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); interrogative pronoun used adverbially

• artham: purpose/reason
• artham: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• parityajya: having abandoned
• parityajya: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-tyaj (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्-अव्ययकृदन्त), from √tyaj (त्यज्) with prefix pari-; indeclinable verbal form

• sva-śarīram: her own body
• sva-śarīram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + śarīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'of self' + body); Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• varānanā: the fair-faced lady
• varānanā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक) + ānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय: 'excellent-faced'); Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• jātā: was born
• jātā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/कृदन्त) from √jan (जन्); Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• himavataḥ: of Himavat
• himavataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: himavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• gehe: in the house
• gehe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• girīndrasya: of the lord of mountains
• girīndrasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'indra among mountains'); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled
• mahātmanaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय: 'great-souled'); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying girīndrasya/himavataḥ

Speakers

• Not explicit in the provided excerpt; framed as a question to the narrator (continuation of the dialogue signaled by vocatives in adjacent verses).

Primary Deities

• Shiva
• Sati/Parvati

Key Themes

• Shaivism
• Rebirth/Transformation
• Divine Consort Theology (Śakti)
• Narrative Inquiry

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The question leads into the ethical critique of arrogance and disrespect (typically associated with Dakṣa’s affront), and the Purāṇic teaching that dharma includes honoring the divine beyond mere ritual status.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Vamśānucarita (account of divine-personal histories) with linkage to cosmological-ethical cycles: the Satī→Pārvatī transition often functions as a restorative arc in sacred history.

What is the symbolic significance?

Abandoning the body signifies the rejection of a context tainted by dishonor and the reconstitution of Śakti in a setting fit for tapas and divine purpose—rebirth in Himavat’s house foreshadows the ascetic and cosmic role of Pārvatī.