Vamana Purana — Harihara Non-Duality, Shloka 50

Harihara Non-Duality and the Revelation of Sadasiva to the Ganas

Devanagari script

ततो ऽभवच्चैकरूपी शङ्करो बहुरूपवान् द्विरूपश्चाभवद् योगी एकरूपो ऽप्यरूपवान् क्षणाच्छ्वेतः क्षणाद् रक्तः पीतो नीलः क्षणादपि

Transliteration

tato 'bhavaccaikarūpī śaṅkaro bahurūpavān dvirūpaścābhavad yogī ekarūpo 'pyarūpavān kṣaṇācchvetaḥ kṣaṇād raktaḥ pīto nīlaḥ kṣaṇādapi

Translation

Then Śaṅkara—though of a single essence—became possessed of many forms. The Yogin became two-formed; though one-formed, he also became formless. In an instant he became white; in an instant red; in an instant yellow; and in an instant again blue.

Speakers

• Narrator/ṛṣi (contextual purāṇic narration) describing Śiva’s manifestation to the assembled gaṇas (Śaiva hosts)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Śaṅkara)

Key Themes

• Divine theophany (many forms)
• Paradox of form and formlessness
• Śiva’s yogic mastery (yoga-śakti)
• Color symbolism in deity-manifestation

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

How can Śiva be described as both ‘one-formed’ and ‘formless’ in the same verse?

Purāṇic theology often distinguishes essence (tattva) from manifestation (rūpa). Śiva is ‘one’ in essence (eka), ‘formless’ as the transcendent absolute (arūpa), yet freely assumes multiple perceptible forms (bahurūpa) through yogic power (yoga-śakti).

What is the significance of the rapid changes of color (white, red, yellow, blue)?

Color-shifts are a conventional marker of a theophany—an overwhelming, supra-normal display of divine power. They can also hint at multiple functional aspects (peaceful, fierce, radiant, mysterious), without requiring a single fixed iconographic mapping in this passage.

Does this verse contain any tīrtha or geographic data typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

Not in this śloka. It is primarily a narrative-theological description; geographic cataloging appears elsewhere in the text, but this verse itself names no place.