Vamana Purana — Shiva's Wedding Procession (Part 2), Shloka 32

Shiva’s Wedding Procession to Kailasa and the Marriage of Girija (Kali)

Devanagari script

नमो नमः शङ्कर शूलपाणे मृगारिचर्माम्बर कालशत्रो महाहिहाराङ्कितकुण्डलाय नमो नमः पार्वतिवल्लभाय

Transliteration

namo namaḥ śaṅkara śūlapāṇe mṛgāricarmāmbara kālaśatro mahāhihārāṅkitakuṇḍalāya namo namaḥ pārvativallabhāya

Translation

Homage, homage to Śaṅkara, the wielder of the trident; to Him whose garment is the hide of the foe of beasts (the tiger), the enemy of Death; to Him whose earrings are marked/adorned with the great serpent as an ornament—homage, homage to the beloved of Pārvatī.

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative function)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable interjection); नमस्कारार्थ (salutation particle)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति-नमस्कार (repeated salutation)

• शङ्कर: O Śaṅkara
• शङ्कर: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचन

• शूलपाणे: O trident-handed one
• शूलपाणे: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक) + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थ: ‘शूलः पाणौ यस्य’ (trident-in-hand); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• मृगारिचर्माम्बर: O wearer of tiger-skin garment
• मृगारिचर्माम्बर: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक) + अरि (प्रातिपदिक) + चर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्बर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘मृग-अरि-चर्म अम्बरं यस्य’ (wearing tiger-skin as garment); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• कालशत्रो: O enemy of Death (Kāla)
• कालशत्रो: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + शत्रु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘कालस्य शत्रुः’ (enemy of Death/Time); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• महाहिहाराङ्कितकुण्डलाय: to (him) whose earrings are adorned with a great serpent-garland
• महाहिहाराङ्कितकुण्डलाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/Dative recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + अहि (प्रातिपदिक) + हार (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्कित (कृदन्त) + कुण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: ‘महता अहि-हारेण अङ्कितं कुण्डलं यस्य’ (earrings marked/adorned with a great serpent-garland); पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; नमः-योगे चतुर्थी (dative with salutation)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थ

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थ

• पार्वतिवल्लभाय: to the beloved of Pārvatī
• पार्वतिवल्लभाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/Dative recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्वती (प्रातिपदिक) + वल्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘पार्वत्याः वल्लभः’; पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; नमः-योगे चतुर्थी

Speakers

• Not explicitly stated in the verse; the stanza functions as a direct hymn addressed to Śiva within the chapter’s narrative frame.

Primary Deities

• Shiva
• Parvati

Key Themes

• Śiva-stuti (praise hymn)
• Iconography of Śiva (trident, tiger-skin, serpents)
• Śiva as conqueror of Death/Time
• Marital aspect of divinity (Śiva as Pārvatī’s consort)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Śiva called ‘Kālaśatru’ (enemy of Death/Time) here?

The epithet compresses Śiva’s mythic role as the one who overcomes mortality and temporal limitation—seen in traditions where he subdues Yama (Death) and stands beyond Kāla (Time). In stuti-literature, it signals Śiva’s supremacy over dissolution and fear.

What does ‘mṛgāri-carmāmbara’ indicate in Śaiva iconography?

It points to Śiva’s ascetic, wilderness-associated form: he wears a predator’s hide (commonly the tiger-skin), signifying mastery over untamed nature and detachment from conventional social finery.

Why mention serpent ornaments (mahāhi-hāra, kuṇḍala) in a wedding-linked context?

The verse foregrounds Śiva’s paradoxical majesty: even in a विवाह setting, his ornaments remain those of the cremation-ground ascetic—serpents and ash—highlighting that divine auspiciousness (śiva) transcends worldly norms.