Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 106

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

Devanagari script

स्नातुं तूर्णं महानद्यामवतीर्णः कृशोदरि ततस्तु सर्वे क्रमाशः स्नात्वार्ऽच्य पितृदेवताः

Transliteration

snātuṃ tūrṇaṃ mahānadyāmavatīrṇaḥ kṛśodari tatastu sarve kramāśaḥ snātvār'cya pitṛdevatāḥ

Translation

欲速沐浴者，噢纤腰之人，遂下入大河。其后众人依次沐浴，并行供奉礼敬，致敬于祖灵（Pitṛ）与诸天神。

Speakers

• Narrator addressing a female addressee (“kṛśodari”) while describing the group’s actions

Primary Deities

• Pitṛs
• Devas

Key Themes

• Tīrtha-snāna (ritual bathing)
• Pitṛ-tarpaṇa / ancestral rites
• Proper ritual order (krama)
• Purificatory practice in sacred waters

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are Pitṛs mentioned together with the gods after bathing?

In tīrtha contexts, snāna is commonly followed by offerings and worship directed both upward (devas) and backward (pitṛs). This reflects the Purāṇic ideal of sustaining cosmic and familial order through ritual reciprocity.

What does “kramāśaḥ” imply about the ritual?

It indicates that the acts—bathing, then worship—are performed in a prescribed sequence, suggesting a standardized tīrtha-vidhi rather than a casual bath.

Is “mahā-nadī” identifiable here?

Not from this verse alone. It functions as a reverential designation (“great river”) within the chapter’s geography; the specific river-name must be confirmed from adjacent verses of Adhyāya 39.