Adhyaya 61: The Second Sin-Destroying Hymn (Pāpaśamana Stava) and Syncretic Praise of Hari-Hara
द्वितीय-पापशमन-स्तवः (Dvitīya-Pāpaśamana-Stavaḥ)
Syncretic Praise of Hari-Hara
Adhyāya 61 of the Vāmana Purāṇa is framed as Pulastya’s instruction to Nārada, introducing a “second” pāpaśamana-stava whose correct study (samyag-adhyayana) is said to annihilate sin. The chapter is predominantly a litany of salutations that moves fluidly across Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva iconographic registers—Matsya, Kūrma, Hayagrīva, Trivikrama, Nārāyaṇa and Garuḍāsana appear alongside Śiva epithets such as Śrīkaṇṭha/Nīlakaṇṭha, Kapardin, Trinayana, Kālāgni, and Rudradeveśa, culminating in nirguṇa descriptors (nirākāra, nirañjana) that universalize the praised deity beyond sectarian form. This syncretic theology functions as a ritual technology of purification: recitation, remembrance, and hearing are explicitly valorized as salvific acts. Unlike the Purāṇa’s tirtha-oriented chapters, this unit is minimally topographical, emphasizing instead a pan-theistic, Harihara-compatible devotional grammar that integrates multiple divine forms into a single purificatory praise-cycle.
Divine Beings
Mortal & Asura Figures
Key Content Points
- Pulastya-to-Nārada transmission: the sage presents a second “sin-destroying hymn,” asserting that proper study and recitation lead to pāpa-nāśa.
- Iconographic catalog as syncretic theology: a continuous sequence of namas-kāras spans Vaiṣṇava avatāras (Matsya, Kūrma, Trivikrama, Hayagrīva) and Śaiva forms/epithets (Trinayana, Kapardin, Kālāgni, Rudradeveśa), implying Hari-Hara concord.
- Soteriology of sound and memory: the closing verse elevates saṃkīrtana (chanting), smaraṇa (remembering), and śravaṇa (hearing) as purificatory practices with ‘bahu-pāpa-nāśana’ efficacy.
Shlokas in Adhyaya 61
Verse 1
इति श्रीवामनपुराणे षष्ठितमो ऽध्यायः पुलस्त्य उवाच द्वितीयं पापशमनं स्तवं वक्ष्यामि ते मुने येन सम्यगधीतेन पापं नाशं तु गच्चति
Thus, in the Śrī Vāmana Purāṇa (ends) the sixtieth chapter. Pulastya said: ‘O sage, I shall tell you the second hymn that pacifies sin; when it is properly studied/recited, sin indeed goes to destruction.’
Verse 2
मत्स्यं नमस्ये देवेशं कूर्मं गोविन्दमेव च हयशीर्षं नमस्ते ऽहं भवं विष्णुं त्रिविक्रमम्
[{"question": "Why are Īśāna and Kumārin mentioned in a hymn otherwise centered on Vishnu?", "answer": "Purāṇic stutis often adopt a ‘sarva-devatā’ register: by naming Shiva (Īśāna) and the Goddess (Kumārin) alongside Vishnu’s epithets, the hymn asserts a unified sacred order and invites auspiciousness from the full divine spectrum."}, {"question": "What does ‘Garuḍāsana’ emphasize about Vishnu?", "answer": "It highlights Vishnu’s royal mobility and protective power: Garuḍa is the emblematic vāhana who overcomes serpentine/poisonous forces and swiftly carries the Lord to protect dharma."}, {"question": "Is ‘Nārāyaṇa’ here a specific form or a general supreme title?", "answer": "In Purāṇic usage it is both: a specific, personal name of Vishnu and a supreme theological title indicating the ultimate refuge and ground of beings."}]
Verse 4
ऊर्ध्वकेशं नृसिहं च रुपधारं कुरुध्वजम् कामपालमखण्डं च नमस्ये ब्राह्मणप्रियम्
I bow to the Upright-haired One, and to Narasiṃha; to the Form-bearer, to Him whose banner is the boar; to the guardian of desire, to the Indivisible One; I bow to Him who is dear to the brāhmaṇas.
Verse 7
नमस्ये च गदापाणिं नमस्ये च कुशोशयम् अर्धनारीश्वरं देवं नमस्ये पापनाशनम्
I bow to the mace-handed one; I bow to him who lies upon kuśa-grass; I bow to the god Ardhanārīśvara; I bow to the destroyer of sin.
Verse 8
गोपालं च सैवकुण्ठं नमस्ये चापराजितम् नमस्ये विश्वरूपं च सौगन्धिं सर्वदाशिवम्
I bow to Gopāla; I bow to Saiva-kuṇṭha; and I bow to the Unconquered (Aparājita). I bow to Viśvarūpa; to Saugandhi; and to Sarvadāśiva.
Verse 63
पाञ्चालिकं हयग्रीवं स्वयम्भुवममरेश्वरम् नमस्ये पुष्कराक्षं च पयोगन्धिं च केशवम्
अविमुक्तं च लोलं च ज्येष्ठेयं मध्यमं तथा उपशान्तं तमस्ये ऽहं मार्कण्डेयं सजम्बुकम्
Verse "
नमस्ये पद्मकिरणं नमस्ये वडवामुखम् कार्त्तिकेयं नमस्ये ऽहं बाह्लीकं शिखिनं तथा
sthāṇu: “the Immovable,” a principal epithet of Śiva; anagha: “sinless, stainless”; vanamālin: “wearer of a forest-garland,” a common epithet of Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa; lāṅgalīśa: “Lord of the plough,” an epithet of Balarāma (Halāyudha); śriyaḥ pati: “Lord of Śrī (Lakṣmī),” Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa.
Verse No rivers, lakes, forests, or tīrthas are named in this verse
59
Adhyāya 59 — Stuti identifying Viṣṇu as Yajñapuruṣa (the sacrificial principle)
Verse 19
श्रीकण्ठं वासुदेवं नीलकण्ठं सदण्डिनम् नमस्ये सर्वमनघं गौरीशं नकुलीस्वरम्
کٹاہ میں وہ ‘گومِتر’ ہیں، جو ‘پنکج پریہ’ (کنول کے محبوب) ہیں؛ سنگھل دیوپ میں ‘اُپیندر’؛ اور شکرآہْو میں ‘کُندمالِن’ نام سے معروف ہیں۔
Verse 25
अगस्तयं गरुडं विष्णुं कपिलं ब्रह्मवाङ्मयम् सनातनं च ब्रह्माणं नमस्ये ब्रह्मतत्परम्
I bow to Agastya; to Garuḍa; to Viṣṇu; to Kapila—whose form is Brahman expressed as sacred speech. And I bow to the eternal Brahmā, devoted to the Supreme Brahman.
Verse 26
अप्रतर्क्यं चतुर्बाहुं सहस्रांशुं तपोमयम् नमस्ये धर्मराजानं देवं गरुडवाहनम्
I bow to the Lord of Dharma—unfathomable to reasoning, four-armed, radiant with a thousand rays, constituted of ascetic splendor—unto that divine One whose vehicle is Garuḍa.
Verse 27
सर्वबूतगतं शान्तं निर्मलं सर्वलक्षणम् महायोगिनमव्यक्तं नमस्ये पापनाशनम्
جمبودویپ میں وہ ‘چتُرباہو’ کہلاتا ہے؛ کشدویپ میں ‘کُشیشَی’ (کنول پر شایان)؛ اور اے بہترین منی، پلکش دویپ میں وہ ‘گرُڑواہن’ کے نام سے مشہور ہے۔
Frequently Asked Questions
By structuring a single continuous stava that alternates and interweaves Vaiṣṇava avatāra-names (e.g., Matsya, Kūrma, Trivikrama, Keśava) with explicitly Śaiva epithets (e.g., Trinayana, Kapardin, Rudradeveśa, Kālāgni), the chapter models a Harihara-compatible devotional practice: multiple sectarian iconographies are treated as valid manifestations within one purificatory address.
This chapter contains no explicit tīrtha catalogue or Kurukṣetra/Sarasvatī-basin topography; its sanctifying force is primarily liturgical rather than locational, grounding purification in recitation (saṃkīrtana), remembrance (smaraṇa), and hearing (śravaṇa) of the stava.
Pulastya emphasizes correct learning/study (samyag-adhyayana) of the hymn, and the concluding verse explicitly adds saṃkīrtana, smaraṇa, and śravaṇa as efficacious modes—treating the stava as a portable ritual instrument of purification independent of pilgrimage setting.