Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 53

Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

सांनिध्यमत्रैव सुरासुराणां गन्धर्वविद्याधरकिन्नराणाम् सदास्तु धर्मस्य निधानमग्र्यं सारस्वतं पापमलापहारि

Transliteration

sāṃnidhyamatraiva surāsurāṇāṃ gandharvavidyādharakinnarāṇām sadāstu dharmasya nidhānamagryaṃ sārasvataṃ pāpamalāpahāri

Translation

May there be here, indeed, the constant presence of the gods and the asuras, and of the Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, and Kinnaras. May this foremost Sarasvata (holy place/waters) ever remain the supreme treasury of Dharma, removing the stain of sin.

Word by Word

• सांनिध्यम्: presence; proximity
• सांनिध्यम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांनिध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (indeed/only)

• सुर-असुराणाम्: of gods and demons
• सुर-असुराणाम्: Sambandha (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्वन्द्वः (इतरेतर) ‘देवाश्च असुराश्च’

• गन्धर्व-विद्याधर-किन्नराणाम्: of Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, and Kinnaras
• गन्धर्व-विद्याधर-किन्नराणाम्: Sambandha (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व + विद्याधर + किन्नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; बहुपद-द्वन्द्वः (copulative list)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (always)

• अस्तु: let there be
• अस्तु: Kriyā (विध्यर्थक/आशीर्वाद)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (benedictive/let there be)

• धर्मस्य: of dharma; righteousness
• धर्मस्य: Sambandha (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निधानम्: treasury; repository
• निधानम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अग्र्यम्: best; foremost
• अग्र्यम्: Kartṛviśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्र्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifies निधानम्)

• सारस्वतम्: Sarasvatī-related; of Sarasvatī
• सारस्वतम्: Kartṛviśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सारस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (pertaining to Sarasvatī)

• पाप-मल-अपहारि: removing the impurity of sin
• पाप-मल-अपहारि: Kartṛviśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप + मल + अपहारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः ‘पापमलस्य अपहारि’ = remover of sin-impurity

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher voice within the Māhātmya section (speaker not specified in the excerpt) addressing the listener (implicit).

Primary Deities

• Sarasvatī

Key Themes

• Tirtha Mahima
• Purification from sin (pāpa-kṣaya)
• Dharma as a sacred repository
• Celestial attendance at holy places

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is being claimed about the Sarasvata tirtha in this verse?

It is presented as a premier dharma-nidhāna (repository of righteousness) whose sanctity is so great that multiple classes of celestial beings are said to be continually present there, and it is specifically credited with removing pāpa-mala (the ‘stain’ of sin).

Why are both suras (gods) and asuras mentioned together?

Māhātmya passages often use inclusive cosmic lists to signal the tirtha’s universal magnetism: even mutually opposed beings are drawn to the same sacred locus, emphasizing the site’s supra-sectarian and supra-political sanctity.

Does ‘Sārasvata’ here mean the Sarasvatī river or a broader region?

In Purāṇic usage, sārasvata can denote Sarasvatī-related waters (river/lake) and also the associated kṣetra (holy region). The verse’s function is to praise the sanctity of the Sarasvatī-linked tirtha-complex rather than to specify a single hydrological feature.