Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 37

Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

तमूचुर्देवताः सर्वस्त्यज्यतां शङ्करद्रत्म् महाव्रतं त्रयो लोकाः क्षुब्धास्त्वत्तेसावृताः

Transliteration

tamūcurdevatāḥ sarvastyajyatāṃ śaṅkaradratm mahāvrataṃ trayo lokāḥ kṣubdhāstvattesāvṛtāḥ

Translation

Alle Götter sprachen zu ihm: „O Śaṅkara, gib dieses große Gelübde (mahāvrata) auf. Die drei Welten sind in Aufruhr, da sie von deinem tejas, deinem Glanz und deiner Kraft, überwältigt werden.“

Word by Word

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• devatāḥ: the deities
• devatāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (देवता प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• sarvaḥ: all
• sarvaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समष्टिवाचक (collective) — ‘all (of them)’

• tyajyatām: let (it) be abandoned
• tyajyatām: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (त्यज् धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; ‘let it be abandoned’

• śaṅkara-vratam: Śaṅkara’s vow
• śaṅkara-vratam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (शङ्कर प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (व्रत प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Śaṅkara’s vow)

• mahā-vratam: the great vow
• mahā-vratam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (महा प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (व्रत प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेष्य-विशेषण-समास (great vow)

• trayaḥ: three
• trayaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (त्रि संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक

• lokāḥ: worlds
• lokāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (लोक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• kṣubdhāḥ: agitated
• kṣubdhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣubh (क्षुभ् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; ‘agitated’

• tu: indeed; but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (तु अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (adversative/emphatic particle)

• tvattas: from you
• tvattas: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (त्वद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/सर्वनाम, पञ्चमी (ablative), एकवचन; ‘from you’

• āvṛtāḥ: covered; enveloped
• āvṛtāḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-vṛ (आवृ धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; ‘covered/obstructed’

Speakers

• The Devas (collectively)
• led by Indra
• petition Śiva (Śaṅkara).

Primary Deities

• Shiva
• Indra
• Devas (collective)

Key Themes

• Cosmic balance and containment of divine power
• Ascetic vow (vrata) and its world-affecting potency
• Devas’ dependence on Śiva for restoration
• The ambivalence of tejas (protective yet overwhelming)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is meant by “mahāvrata” in this context?

“Mahāvrata” denotes an exceptionally intense observance—often severe tapas, a prolonged vow, or a fierce resolve undertaken by Śiva. Such vows generate tejas that can destabilize cosmic order if unchecked.

How can Śiva’s tejas ‘overwhelm’ the three worlds if he is beneficent (Śaṅkara)?

Purāṇic theology treats divine power as intrinsically immense: the same tejas that protects can also scorch or unsettle creation when manifested without restraint. The Devas request moderation to restore equilibrium.

Does “trayo lokāḥ” have a geographical meaning here?

Here it is cosmological rather than terrestrial geography: it refers to the tripartite universe (svarga/antarikṣa/pṛthivī). No specific tīrtha or landscape is named in these lines.