Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 117

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

Devanagari script

यो ऽसौ युवा नीलघनप्रकाशः संदृश्यते दीर्घभुजः सूरूपः स एव नूनं नरदेवसूनुर्वृतो मया पूर्वतरं पतिर्यः

Transliteration

yo 'sau yuvā nīlaghanaprakāśaḥ saṃdṛśyate dīrghabhujaḥ sūrūpaḥ sa eva nūnaṃ naradevasūnurvṛto mayā pūrvataraṃ patiryaḥ

Translation

那边所见的青年——黑如雨云，臂长而相貌端严——他必定是王者之子，正是我先前择为夫君的那一位。

Speakers

• Citrāṅgadā speaking to her friend (continuation of the speech introduced in 116)

Key Themes

• Recognition (pratyabhijñā)
• Svayaṃvara/choice of husband
• Royal lineage (nara-deva-sūnu)
• Memory and destiny within tīrtha space

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Does ‘nīlaghana-prakāśa’ imply a divine identity (e.g., Viṣṇu)?

Not necessarily. While such imagery is famously used for Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa, Purāṇic kāvya-style also applies it to exemplary human heroes. In this verse the identification is explicitly social: ‘nara-deva-sūnu’—the king’s son.

What does ‘vṛto mayā pūrvataraṃ patiḥ’ indicate about Citrāṅgadā’s past?

It indicates a prior formal choice of spouse—often the idiom of svayaṃvara (bride’s selection). The verse frames the encounter as recognition of a previously chosen husband, setting up a backstory or reunion motif.

Why place a recognition of a royal husband within a tīrtha-bathing scene?

Tīrthas in the Vāmana Purāṇa frequently serve as narrative junctions: sacred geography becomes the stage where past karmic ties, vows, and social identities re-emerge. The sanctified setting legitimizes the unfolding reunion as dharmically meaningful rather than accidental.