Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 58

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

Devanagari script

तमाह दैत्यशार्दूलः क्वासौ वसति दुर्जयः स्वयं तत्र गमिष्यामि तस्य संयमनोद्यतः

Transliteration

tamāha daityaśārdūlaḥ kvāsau vasati durjayaḥ svayaṃ tatra gamiṣyāmi tasya saṃyamanodyataḥ

Translation

Darauf sagte der „Tiger unter den Daityas“ zu Yama: „Wo weilt jener Unbezwingbare? Ich selbst werde dorthin gehen, entschlossen, ihn zu zügeln (zu unterwerfen).“

Speakers

• Daitya (Mura) to Yama

Primary Deities

• Yama
• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Confrontation of Daitya power with divine sovereignty
• Limits of coercion against the Supreme
• Dharma as cosmic restraint (saṃyama)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "raudra", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Who is the ‘unconquerable one’ (durjayaḥ) referred to here?

The context (next verse) identifies him as Bhagavān Viṣṇu, the Lord of the worlds, whose abode is described cosmographically as Kṣīroda (the Ocean of Milk).

What is implied by ‘saṃyamana-udyataḥ’ (intent on restraint)?

It signals the Daitya’s hubris—attempting to ‘restrain’ the very source of cosmic order. The term also resonates with Yama’s own role as the restrainer of beings through dharma and death, sharpening the irony of the Daitya addressing Yama.

Does this verse contain any tīrtha or terrestrial geography?

No. It functions as a narrative hinge: the Daitya asks for the divine location, which is supplied in the following verse as a cosmological ‘sacred geography’ (Kṣīroda-sāgara).