Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 13

Shiva’s Kedara-Tirtha and the Rise of Mura: From Shaiva Pilgrimage to Vaishnava Theology

Devanagari script

षण्मासाद् धारयिष्न्ति निवृत्ताः परपाकतः तेषां हृत्पङ्कजेष्वेव मल्लिङ्गं भविता ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

ṣaṇmāsād dhārayiṣnti nivṛttāḥ parapākataḥ teṣāṃ hṛtpaṅkajeṣveva malliṅgaṃ bhavitā dhruvam

Translation

Sechs Monate lang werden sie jene Disziplin bewahren, abgewandt vom „Kochen“ (d. h. vom Reifenlassen) der Speise anderer; und im Lotus ihres Herzens wird das makellose Liṅga gewiss erscheinen.

Speakers

• (Contextual frame) A narrator-sage continues the tirtha’s phalaśruti to an inquirer (exact interlocutors not supplied in the excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Shiva (implied by liṅga symbolism)

Key Themes

• Tirtha Mahima
• Vratācāra (observance of vows)
• Āhāra-niyama (dietary restraint)
• Antar-liṅga (internalization of Shiva)
• Purity (mala-śuddhi)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘parapākataḥ nivṛttāḥ’ most likely mean in a tīrtha-mahātmya setting?

It commonly signals a discipline of food-restraint: refraining from eating food cooked by others (parapāka), or avoiding dependence on others’ provisions—an ascetic/vrata-like conduct that preserves ritual purity after drinking the tirtha-water.

How should ‘malliṅgaṃ’ be understood?

As ‘mala-rahita liṅga’—a spotless liṅga. The point is not a physical stone liṅga appearing, but the assured manifestation of Shiva’s liṅga-principle as inner realization in the heart-lotus.

Why is a six-month duration specified?

Māhātmya texts often quantify merit through time-bound observances. Here, the tirtha-water initiates a sustained period of purity/discipline, culminating in inner spiritual fruition (liṅga in the heart).