Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 44

Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

वरं लब्ध्वा ततः शुक्रस्तपसः संन्यवर्त्तत तथापि चलते पृथ्वी साब्धिभूभृन्नगावृता

Transliteration

varaṃ labdhvā tataḥ śukrastapasaḥ saṃnyavarttata tathāpi calate pṛthvī sābdhibhūbhṛnnagāvṛtā

Translation

فلما نال شُكْرَةُ العطيةَ كفَّ عن تقشُّفِه. ومع ذلك بدأت الأرض—المحاطة بالبحار والجبال والسلاسل—ترتجف.

Word by Word

• varam: a boon
• varam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• labdhvā: having obtained
• labdhvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund): ‘having obtained’

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

• śukraḥ: Śukra (Uśanā)
• śukraḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śukra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tapasaḥ: from the austerity
• tapasaḥ: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (ablative) एकवचन (or षष्ठी genitive by context); here: ‘from austerity’

• saṃnyavarttata: desisted/returned (ceased)
• saṃnyavarttata: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + ni + vṛt (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• tathāpi: nevertheless
• tathāpi: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय) + api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (concessive): ‘even so/nevertheless’

• calate: moves/trembles
• calate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cal (धातु)
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• pṛthvī: the earth
• pṛthvī: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthvī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sābdhi-bhūbhṛt-naga-āvṛtā: surrounded by oceans, mountains, and hills
• sābdhi-bhūbhṛt-naga-āvṛtā: Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह/सहित-भाव) + abdhi (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūbhṛt (प्रातिपदिक) + naga (प्रातिपदिक) + āvṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः: या अब्धिभिः भूबृद्भिः नगैश्च आवृता (surrounded by oceans, mountains, and hills)

Speakers

• Narratorial voice within the Pulastya–Nārada dialogue context (chapter narrative frame)

Primary Deities

• Śukra

Key Themes

• Power of tapas and boons
• Cosmic disturbance as omen
• Mythic causality linked to sacred geography

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the earth tremble even after Śukra stops his austerities?

In Purāṇic idiom, tremors often signal residual potency (tapas-śakti) or the imminent arrival/action of a great deity. The verse frames the boon’s acquisition as an event with cosmic repercussions, preparing for the next scene where Mahādeva approaches the Saptasārasvata region.

What does “sābdhibhūbhṛnnagāvṛtā” emphasize?

It is a cosmographic formula: the earth is pictured as ringed by oceans and stabilized by mountains. The tremor is thus hyperbolic—affecting the whole ordered world, not merely a local area.

Is this verse part of a tīrtha-māhātmya strategy?

Yes. Tīrtha sections frequently introduce extraordinary natural signs to sacralize a locale; cosmic-scale reactions elevate the forthcoming geography (Saptasārasvata) from mere place-name to a theologically charged landscape.