Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 48
Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra
स ब्राह्मणः प्राह ममाद्य तुष्टिर्येनेह जाता शृणु तद् द्विजेन्द्र बहून् गणान् वै मम तप्यतस्तपः संवत्सरान् कायविशोषणार्थम्
sa brāhmaṇaḥ prāha mamādya tuṣṭiryeneha jātā śṛṇu tad dvijendra bahūn gaṇān vai mama tapyatastapaḥ saṃvatsarān kāyaviśoṣaṇārtham
Jener Brāhmaṇa sprach: „Höre, o Bester der Zweimalgeborenen, den Grund, weshalb heute in mir Genugtuung entstanden ist. Über viele Scharen von Jahren, viele Jahre hindurch, übte ich Askese (tapas), um den Leib auszudörren und abzumagern.“
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
It indicates a deliberately harsh, body-emaciating regimen—fasting, exposure, vigils, or other disciplines aimed at reducing bodily attachment and intensifying tapas. Purāṇic texts often describe such ‘drying’ as a sign of extreme resolve, though later dharma traditions also caution against self-harm and emphasize balanced sādhana.
The address is part of the verse’s rhetorical texture: the ascetic speaks in brāhmaṇical honorifics. In Purāṇic diction, exalted beings—including deities—may be addressed with epithets associated with spiritual preeminence, not strictly caste identity, emphasizing Śiva’s supremacy in tapas and knowledge.
No. The physical ‘drying’ is presented as the method, while the narrative focus is on the arising of ‘tuṣṭi’—a decisive inner fulfillment tied to a specific sign or result (clarified in the next verse).