Vamana Purana — Shiva's Wedding Procession (Part 2), Shloka 15

Shiva’s Wedding Procession to Kailasa and the Marriage of Girija (Kali)

Devanagari script

गन्धर्वास्तुम्बरुमुखा गायन्तो मधुरस्वरम् अनुजग्मुर्महादेवं वादयन्तश् च किन्नराः

Transliteration

gandharvāstumbarumukhā gāyanto madhurasvaram anujagmurmahādevaṃ vādayantaś ca kinnarāḥ

Translation

Die Gandharvas, angeführt von Tumburu, sangen mit süßem Klang; und die Kinnaras folgten Mahādeva, während sie Instrumente spielten.

Word by Word

• गन्धर्वाः: Gandharvas
• गन्धर्वाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• तुम्बरु-मुखाः: having Tumburu as their leader/foremost (lit. Tumburu-faced)
• तुम्बरु-मुखाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुम्बरु (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (तुम्बरुः मुखं येषां ते)

• गायन्तः: singing
• गायन्तः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गै (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/प्रशतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदी धातु; ‘singing’

• मधुर-स्वरम्: a sweet melody/voice
• मधुर-स्वरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधुर (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (मधुरः स्वरः)

• अनु-√गम् (अनुजग्मुः): they followed
• अनु-√गम् (अनुजग्मुः): Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-√गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• महादेवम्: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• महादेवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• वादयन्तः: playing (music)
• वादयन्तः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु) णिच् (causative) → √वादय्
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; णिजन्त-धातु; ‘playing (instruments), causing to sound’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• किन्नराः: Kinnaras
• किन्नराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किन्नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन

Speakers

• Narrative layer not explicit in the excerpt; appears as descriptive narration.

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Mahādeva)

Key Themes

• Shaivism
• Bhakti
• Divine kingship and retinue
• Sacred music (gīta-vādya)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Devotion is portrayed as harmonized offering—voice and instrument ordered toward the divine. The ethical accent is on aligning art (kala) and talent to dharma through praise of the Lord.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Falls under narrative embellishment within purāṇic ākhyāna: not cosmology or genealogies per se, but devotional description supporting a theological scene (often grouped under vaṃśānucarita/charita-style narration broadly).

What is the symbolic significance?

Tumburu and the Gandharvas embody the Vedic idea that sound (nāda/śabda) is a vehicle of sacred presence; the retinue signifies Śiva’s cosmic sovereignty acknowledged by celestial orders.