Vamana Purana — Vamana's Birth, Shloka 9

Vamana’s Birth during Bali’s Horse-Sacrifice and the Mapping of Vishnu’s Sacred Presences

Devanagari script

उन्मज्जने च ददृशुः पुनर्विस्मितमानसाः ततः स्नात्वा समुत्तीर्णा ऋषयः सर्व एव हि

Transliteration

unmajjane ca dadṛśuḥ punarvismitamānasāḥ tataḥ snātvā samuttīrṇā ṛṣayaḥ sarva eva hi

Translation

And as they rose up (from the water) they beheld (that sight), their minds again filled with amazement. Then, having bathed and come up onto the bank, all the sages indeed (stood there).

Speakers

• Narrator voice within the Purāṇic dialogue (contextually continuing the account of the ṛṣis’ experience at the tīrtha).

Key Themes

• Tīrtha-snāna (ritual bathing)
• Adbhuta (marvel) as a marker of sacred space
• Pilgrimage experience and transformation

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the narrative function of ‘emerging from the water’ (unmajjana) here?

In tīrtha-māhātmya passages, unmajjana marks the liminal moment when the pilgrim transitions from the purificatory act to direct perception of the tīrtha’s ‘adbhuta’—a sign that the place is not ordinary water but a charged sacred locus.

Does this verse itself assert a specific boon or merit of bathing?

Not directly. It sets the scene: the sages bathe, emerge, and are astonished—preparing for the subsequent verses that typically disclose what was seen and why the place is extraordinary.

Is any identifiable geography named in this śloka?

No explicit toponym appears here; only the generic tīrtha setting is implied. The precise river/pond/locale must be inferred from the surrounding verses of Adhyāya 62.