Ritadhvaja Aids Galava Shloka 44 - Vamana Purana | English | Vedapath

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Vamana Purana — Ritadhvaja Aids Galava, Shloka 44

Ritadhvaja’s Aid to Galava and Andhaka’s Infatuation with Gauri

Devanagari script

विहरध्वं महीपृष्ठे पूज्यमाना नरैरिह वसतिर्भवतीनां च उद्यानेषु वनेषु च

Transliteration

viharadhvaṃ mahīpṛṣṭhe pūjyamānā narairiha vasatirbhavatīnāṃ ca udyāneṣu vaneṣu ca

Translation

“Roam upon the surface of the earth, being worshipped here by men. Let there be dwelling-places for you in pleasure-groves and in forests as well.”

Word by Word

viharadhvamroam/sport (you all)

mahīpṛṣṭheon the surface of the earth

pūjyamānāḥbeing worshipped

naraiḥby men/people

ihahere

vasatiḥdwelling/residence

bhavatīnāmof you (ladies)

caand

udyāneṣuin gardens

vaneṣuin forests

caand

Speakers

Narrator/epic voice within the Andhaka cycle (contextually a divine injunction addressed to a group of goddesses/attendantslikely the Mothers/Śaktis)

Primary Deities

Ambikā (implied in the sequence)Śiva (narrative backdrop)

Key Themes

Establishment of cultic presenceDevi/Mātṛ worship by humansSacred landscape as inhabited by divine powersForest-and-grove religiosity

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who are the recipients of the command ‘viharadhvam’ in this context?

The grammar (honorific feminine plural ‘bhavatīnām’) indicates a group of revered female divinities—typically read in the Andhaka-cycle as Ambikā’s attendant Śaktis/Mātṛs—being instructed to move through the human world and accept worship.

Why are ‘groves’ and ‘forests’ singled out as residences?

In Purāṇic sacred geography, udyānas and vanas function as liminal, power-charged spaces where divine presence is experienced. The verse legitimizes localized shrines and cults situated in wooded/grove settings rather than only in urban temples.

Does this verse name a specific tīrtha?

No. It provides a template for sacralizing landscape (earth-surface, groves, forests) without naming a particular river, lake, or pilgrimage site.