Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 9

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

Devanagari script

ततो वीटा विदार्यैव कपालं परमेष्ठनः सार्चिष्मती जटामध्यान्निषण्णा धरणीतले

Transliteration

tato vīṭā vidāryaiva kapālaṃ parameṣṭhanaḥ sārciṣmatī jaṭāmadhyānniṣaṇṇā dharaṇītale

Translation

Daraufhin spaltete er mit der vīṭā den Schädel des Parameṣṭhin (Brahmā); und die flammend leuchtende vīṭā fiel aus der Mitte der verfilzten jaṭā (Haarflechten) (Śivas) herab und kam auf der Erdoberfläche zur Ruhe.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla (काल/Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — अनन्तरार्थक

• vīṭā: the vīṭā (betel quid/lump)
• vīṭā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīṭā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• vidārya: having split open
• vidārya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√dṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund) = ‘विदार्य’ (having split)

• eva: indeed / just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle) — एवकारः (emphasis)

• kapālam: the skull-bowl
• kapālam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• parameṣṭhanaḥ: of Parameṣṭhin (Brahmā)
• parameṣṭhanaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parameṣṭhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• sa-arciṣmatī: together with a radiant/flaming (one)
• sa-arciṣmatī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह/प्रातिपदिक) + arciṣmatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/उपपद-समासः—अर्चिष्मती (दीप्तिमती) सहिता/युक्ता

• jaṭā-madhyāt: from the midst of the matted hair
• jaṭā-madhyāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaṭā (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (madhya), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—जटायाः मध्यम्

• niṣaṇṇā: sat down / was seated
• niṣaṇṇā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√sad (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृदन्त (past participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘निषण्णा’ = seated/settled

• dharaṇī-tale: on the surface of the earth
• dharaṇī-tale: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharaṇī (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (tala), सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—धरण्याः तलम्

Speakers

• (Narrative voice within the Purāṇic dialogue; speaker not specified in the excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Hara)
• Brahmā (Parameṣṭhin)

Key Themes

• Tīrtha origin through divine act
• Śaiva sacred geography
• Mythic etiology (how a place becomes holy)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘Parameṣṭhin’ here, and why is his skull mentioned?

Parameṣṭhin is a standard epithet of Brahmā. The verse alludes to a mythic episode in which Brahmā’s kapāla becomes involved in Śiva’s act; such skull-motifs commonly function as etiological devices to explain the sanctity of a site or the emergence of a tīrtha.

What is the ‘vīṭā’ and why is it described as ‘sārciṣmatī’ (radiant)?

Vīṭā denotes a lump/clod (earth/stone) used as a striking object. Calling it ‘radiant’ marks it as supernormal—charged with divine energy—so that its landing on earth can serve as the causal seed for a tīrtha’s manifestation.

What does ‘from the midst of the matted locks’ imply in tīrtha narratives?

Jaṭā imagery ties the event to Śiva’s ascetic power and to the idea that sacred geography can ‘descend’ from divine bodies (hair, limbs, weapons). The place where the charged object comes to rest becomes a fixed point of holiness on earth.