Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 41

Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

ततो ऽब्रवीत्सुरपतिः किमर्थं तप्यते तपः जगत्क्षोभकरं विप्र तच्छीघ्रं कथ्यतां मम

Transliteration

tato 'bravītsurapatiḥ kimarthaṃ tapyate tapaḥ jagatkṣobhakaraṃ vipra tacchīghraṃ kathyatāṃ mama

Translation

Then the lord of the gods said: “For what purpose is this austerity being performed, O brāhmaṇa—an austerity that causes agitation in the worlds? Tell it to me quickly.”

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): ‘thereupon/then’

• abravīt: said/spoke
• abravīt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• sura-patiḥ: lord of the gods (Indra)
• sura-patiḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: सुराणां पतिः

• kim-artham: why/for what purpose
• kim-artham: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (interrogative adverb): किमर्थम् = ‘for what purpose/why’ (तत्पुरुष-समासः)

• tapyate: is being practiced (is performed)
• tapyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (passive/impersonal sense): ‘is being performed/undergoes’

• tapaḥ: austerity/penance
• tapaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन

• jagat-kṣobha-karam: causing agitation of the world
• jagat-kṣobha-karam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣobha (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः: जगतः क्षोभं करोति इति

• vipra: O brahmin/sage
• vipra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन

• tat: that (matter)
• tat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• śīghram: quickly
• śīghram: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śīghra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ‘quickly’

• kathyatām: let it be told
• kathyatām: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन: ‘let it be told’

• mama: to me/of me
• mama: Sampradāna/Adhikāra (सम्प्रदान/अधिकार)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speakers

• Indra (Surapati) addressing Uśanā (Śukrācārya)

Primary Deities

• Indra

Key Themes

• Tapas as cosmic force
• Devas’ anxiety over ascetic power
• Inquiry into motive (artha) behind austerity
• Vidyā as the goal of tapas

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is tapas described as “jagat-kṣobha-kara” (world-agitating)?

Purāṇic narrative convention treats intense austerity as a power that heats/pressurizes the cosmos, prompting divine attention. The phrase signals that the ascetic’s merit is reaching a threshold where boons or cosmic rebalancing must occur.

Who is the “surapati” here, and why does he intervene?

Surapati is Indra. Indra often intervenes when a sage’s tapas threatens to alter the balance of power—either by granting boons to rivals or by producing siddhis that could destabilize divine sovereignty.

Does this verse contain geographical metadata typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

Not in this śloka. It is a dialogue-driven narrative unit; geographical anchoring (if present in the surrounding passage) would need adjacent verses for extraction.