Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 28

Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

सुराणां चिन्तितं ज्ञात्वा विश्वमूर्तिभूद्विभुः सर्वलक्षणसंयुक्तः सर्वायुधधरो ऽव्ययः

Transliteration

surāṇāṃ cintitaṃ jñātvā viśvamūrtibhūdvibhuḥ sarvalakṣaṇasaṃyuktaḥ sarvāyudhadharo 'vyayaḥ

Translation

Knowing what the gods were thinking, the all-pervading Lord became the Universal-Form; endowed with every auspicious mark, bearing every weapon, imperishable.

Word by Word

• सुराणाम्: of the gods
• सुराणाम्: सम्बन्ध (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन

• चिन्तितम्: the thought/intention
• चिन्तितम्: कर्म (Object of ज्ञात्वा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिन्तित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √चिन्त् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participial noun)

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: पूर्वकाल (क्रियाविशेषण/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; धातु: ज्ञा (to know)

• विश्व-मूर्ति-भूत्: become the universal form
• विश्व-मूर्ति-भूत्: विशेषण (Qualifier of विभुः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत् (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक from √भू)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘विश्वस्य मूर्तिः’ + ‘भूत’ (become) → ‘having become the form of the universe’

• विभुः: the all-pervading Lord
• विभुः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

• सर्व-लक्षण-संयुक्तः: endowed with all marks/attributes
• सर्व-लक्षण-संयुक्तः: विशेषण (Qualifier of विभुः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + लक्षण (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √युज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘सर्वैः लक्षणैः संयुक्तः’

• सर्व-आयुध-धरः: bearing all weapons
• सर्व-आयुध-धरः: विशेषण (Qualifier of विभुः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + आयुध (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √धृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘सर्वाणि आयुधानि धरति’

• अव्ययः: imperishable
• अव्ययः: विशेषण (Qualifier of विभुः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speakers

• Narrator describing the Lord’s response to the Devas’ contemplation.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

Key Themes

• Theophany (divine self-manifestation)
• Omniscience (knowing the Devas’ thoughts)
• Supreme sovereignty (all marks, all weapons)
• Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis via a single ‘vibhu’

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘vibhuḥ’ here—Viṣṇu, Śiva, or a combined supreme?

The diction supports a supreme, all-pervading Lord who can encompass both Hari and Īśvara—consistent with Harīśvara theology and the immediate context of the Devas’ question about their unity.

What is the significance of ‘sarvāyudhadharaḥ’ (bearing all weapons)?

It is a sovereignty marker: the deity is not limited to one sectarian iconography (e.g., only cakra or only triśūla) but contains all divine powers and their emblems, reinforcing the universal-form claim.

Does ‘viśvamūrti’ imply a specific cosmological vision like the Bhagavadgītā’s Viśvarūpa?

It is the same genre of theophany—an all-encompassing manifestation—though the Purāṇic narrative purpose here is to resolve the Devas’ theological doubt about duality vs. unity (Hari–Īśvara) rather than to instruct a single devotee as in the Gītā.