Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 19
Shiva’s Kedara-Tirtha and the Rise of Mura: From Shaiva Pilgrimage to Vaishnava Theology
अवतीर्मस्ततः स्नातुं निमग्नश्च महाम्भसि द्रुपदां नाम गायत्रीं जजापान्तर्जले हरः
avatīrmastataḥ snātuṃ nimagnaśca mahāmbhasi drupadāṃ nāma gāyatrīṃ jajāpāntarjale haraḥ
Dann stieg er hinab, um zu baden, und tauchte in die großen Wasser ein; im Innern des Wassers rezitierte Hara (Śiva) die Gāyatrī namens „Drupadā“.
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FAQs
It indicates an intensified vow-like practice: japa performed while immersed, suggesting breath-control, endurance, and heightened ritual concentration. In tīrtha contexts, such austerity magnifies the merit of the act and the sanctity of the site.
The verse treats Drupadā as a named form or epithet of a Gāyatrī-mantra. Purāṇic and ritual traditions often preserve multiple Gāyatrīs (for deities, meters, or specific results), and the naming signals a particular recension or application known to the text’s ritual milieu.
This supports a common Purāṇic theme: Śiva embodies tapas and Vedic discipline, and his presence at Sarasvatī validates the river’s tīrtha-status across sectarian lines, integrating Śaiva practice into a broader sacred-geographic map.