Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 31

Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वैव देवा हरिशङ्करं तं नमो ऽस्तु ते सर्वगताव्ययेति प्रोक्त्वा प्रणामं कमलासनाद्याश्चक्रुर्मतिं चैकतरां नियुज्य

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvaiva devā hariśaṅkaraṃ taṃ namo 'stu te sarvagatāvyayeti proktvā praṇāmaṃ kamalāsanādyāścakrurmatiṃ caikatarāṃ niyujya

Translation

Upon merely seeing that Hari-Śaṅkara, the gods—beginning with the Lotus-seated (Brahmā)—uttered, “Homage to You, the all-pervading and imperishable!” Having spoken thus, they bowed in obeisance; and, fixing their minds in single-pointed concentration, they devoted themselves wholly to that one Supreme.

Word by Word

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त), ‘having seen’

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

• devāḥ: the gods
• devāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन)

• hariśaṅkaram: Hari-and-Śaṅkara (the combined form)
• hariśaṅkaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari + śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular; द्वन्द्व-समास (Hari and Śaṅkara) used as a single object-name

• tam: him/that one
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular; pronoun

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya used in salutation; governs Dative (चतुर्थी)

• astu: let it be
• astu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष) Singular (एकवचन)

• te: to you
• te: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dative (चतुर्थी) Singular; enclitic pronoun

• sarvagata-avyaya: O all-pervading, imperishable one
• sarvagata-avyaya: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + gata + avyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Vocative (सम्बोधन) Singular; karmadhāraya/appositional epithet: ‘all-pervading (sarvagata) and imperishable (avyaya)’ addressing the deity

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle (इति-निपात)

• proktvā: having said
• proktvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vac (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा), ‘having said/uttered’

• praṇāmam: a bow/prostration
• praṇāmam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praṇāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular

• kamalāsanādyāḥ: Brahmā and others
• kamalāsanādyāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kamalāsana + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural; tatpuruṣa: kamalāsana-ādi = ‘Brahmā (lotus-seated) and others’

• cakruḥ: did/made
• cakruḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष) Plural (बहुवचन)

• matim: mind/resolve
• matim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• ekatarām: single/one-pointed
• ekatarām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekatara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative Singular; comparative/alternative sense ‘one (of the two)/single-pointed’ qualifying mati

• niyujya: having fixed/engaged
• niyujya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni + yuj (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्/य), ‘having fixed/appointed/engaged’

Speakers

• Narrator reporting the devas’ reaction; devas (led by Brahmā) address Hari-Śaṅkara.

Primary Deities

• Harihara (Viṣṇu-Śiva unity)
• Brahmā (Kamalāsana)
• Devas (collective)

Key Themes

• Deva-stuti and surrender
• Recognition of the supreme as sarvagata and avyaya
• Sectarian integration (Hari-Śaṅkara)
• Ekāgratā (single-pointed devotion/attention)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the significance of the epithet ‘sarvagata-avyaya’ in this context?

It frames Harihara not merely as a composite icon but as the metaphysical absolute: omnipresent (sarvagata) and beyond decay/change (avyaya). The devas’ language shifts the scene from visual wonder to theological recognition.

Why is Brahmā singled out as ‘kamalāsana’ here?

Brahmā is conventionally identified by the lotus-seat; naming him first (‘-ādyāḥ’) indicates leadership of the devas and underscores that even the cosmic creator bows to the unified supreme.

What does ‘matiṁ caikatarāṁ niyujya’ add beyond simple prostration?

It specifies inner alignment: not only external homage (praṇāma) but concentrated, exclusive orientation of mind toward the one reality revealed as Hari-Śaṅkara—an implicit teaching on devotion and contemplative focus.