Shloka 9

Gajendra's Deliverance — Gajendra’s Deliverance and the Protective Power of Remembrance (Japa)

Devanagari script

शालैस्तालैस्तमालैश्च सरलार्जुनपर्पटैः तथान्यैर्विविधैर्वृक्षैः सर्वतः समलङ्कृतः

Transliteration

śālaistālaistamālaiśca saralārjunaparpaṭaiḥ tathānyairvividhairvṛkṣaiḥ sarvataḥ samalaṅkṛtaḥ

Translation

তা সর্বদিকে শাল, তাল, তমাল, সরল, অর্জুন ও পर्पট, এবং আরও নানাবিধ বৃক্ষে সুশোভিত ছিল।

Speakers

• Narrative description within the Saromāhātmya section (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt).

Key Themes

• Tīrtha landscape description
• Sacred ecology (vana-śobhā)
• Merit of holy places through their natural splendor

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the Vāmana Purāṇa emphasize lists of trees in tīrtha descriptions?

In the Vāmana Purāṇa’s geographical style, sacredness is conveyed through “kṣetra-lakṣaṇa”—recognizable features of a holy region. Tree catalogues function as ecological markers (what grows there), aesthetic praise (śobhā), and implicit ritual suitability (shade, flowers, leaves for worship).

Is “arjuna” here symbolic or purely botanical?

Both. Botanically it is a riverbank tree (Terminalia arjuna), but Purāṇic usage also treats it as an auspicious marker of tīrthas and water-adjacent sanctuaries, reinforcing the sense of a ritually fit landscape.

What is “parpaṭa” in this context?

Parpaṭa is a traditional plant-name; Purāṇic passages often preserve regional or older botanical terms. Commentarial traditions vary in identification, but the function here is clear: to indicate diverse, abundant vegetation enhancing the sanctity and beauty of the place.