Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 9

Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

तप्तकृच्छ्रेम संशुद्धाः कुरुध्वं स्नानमीश्वरे क्षीरस्नाने प्रयुञ्जीत सार्द्ध कुम्भशतं सुराः

Transliteration

taptakṛcchrema saṃśuddhāḥ kurudhvaṃ snānamīśvare kṣīrasnāne prayuñjīta sārddha kumbhaśataṃ surāḥ

Translation

«فإذا تطهّرتم بنذرِ Tapta-Kṛcchra فأقيموا طقسَ الاغتسال لإيشڤارا (Īśvara). ولغُسلِ اللبن (kṣīra-snāna)، يا معشرَ الآلهة، ينبغي استعمالُ مئةٍ وخمسين جرّة (كومبها).»

Word by Word

• tapta-kṛcchreṇa: by the 'tapta-kṛcchra' penance
• tapta-kṛcchreṇa: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapta (तप्त प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त) + kṛcchra (कृच्छ्र प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (तप्तं कृच्छ्रम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; तप्तकृच्छ्र = विशेष-तपः (austerity)

• saṃśuddhāḥ: purified
• saṃśuddhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śudh (शुध् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle) with उपसर्ग सम्; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; 'purified'

• kurudhvam: do, perform
• kurudhvam: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• snānam: bath
• snānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (स्नान प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• īśvare: in/for the Lord
• īśvare: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (ईश्वर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; विषय/अधिकरण (in/for the Lord)

• kṣīra-snāne: in the milk-bath
• kṣīra-snāne: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣīra (क्षीर प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (स्नान प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (क्षीरे स्नानम्/क्षीरस्नानम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• prayuñjīta: should use, should apply
• prayuñjīta: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yuj (युज् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; उपसर्ग प्र- (should employ/should apply)

• sārddham: together with
• sārddham: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sārdha (सार्ध अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सह-अर्थक-अव्यय (adverb: together/with)

• kumbha-śatam: a hundred pots
• kumbha-śatam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumbha (कुम्भ प्रातिपदिक) + śata (शत प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (शतं कुम्भानाम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; परिमाण (a hundred pots)

• surāḥ: the gods
• surāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (सुर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speakers

• Unspecified narrator/ritual authority addressing ‘surāḥ’ (gods) or a revered audience; instructing on vow + bathing sequence

Primary Deities

• Ishvara

Key Themes

• Prāyaścitta (expiation)
• Snāna-vidhi (ritual bathing)
• Abhiṣeka substances and measures
• Merit through regulated observance

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is ‘Tapta-Kṛcchra’ and why is it mentioned before the bath?

Tapta-Kṛcchra is a classical expiatory austerity (prāyaścitta) involving strict regulation and ‘heated’ discipline (often including hot water). The text presents it as preparatory purification, after which the devotee becomes eligible for the higher rite of Īśvara-snāna.

What does ‘one hundred and a half kumbhas’ signify in practice?

It is a quantified ritual prescription: 150 pitchers of milk are to be used for the kṣīra-snāna (abhiṣeka). Such numbers standardize the rite and signal its grandeur and merit, typical of tīrtha-mahātmya ritual manuals.

Why address the audience as ‘surāḥ’ (gods) in a ritual instruction?

Purāṇic narration often elevates the addressee—either literally gods within the story-frame or honored listeners—using ‘surāḥ’ as a respectful vocative, underscoring the sanctity of the instruction.