Vamana Purana — Kurukshetra & Prithudaka Tirtha, Shloka 9

Kurukshetra, Pṛthūdaka Tīrtha, and the Marriage of Saṃvaraṇa with Tapatī

Devanagari script

रुद्रः सत्यां प्रणष्टायां ब्रह्मचारिव्रते स्तितः निराश्रयत्वमापन्नस्तपस्तप्तुं व्यवस्थितः

Transliteration

rudraḥ satyāṃ praṇaṣṭāyāṃ brahmacārivrate stitaḥ nirāśrayatvamāpannastapastaptuṃ vyavasthitaḥ

Translation

When Satyā had perished, Rudra remained established in the vow of brahmacarya, the discipline of celibate restraint. Having fallen into a state of being without refuge, he resolved to perform austerities (tapas).

Word by Word

• rudraḥ: Rudra
• rudraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• satyām: in/when Satī
• satyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; "in/when Satī"

• praṇaṣṭāyām: having perished
• praṇaṣṭāyām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + √naś (नश् धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past participle (क्त), Feminine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; agrees with satyām; "having perished/vanished"

• brahmacāri-vrate: in the vow of celibacy
• brahmacāri-vrate: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmacārin (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; तत्पुरुष-समास: brahmacāriṇaḥ vrataṃ → brahmacārivratam; loc. sg. vrate

• sthitaḥ: remaining, abiding
• sthitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √sthā (स्था धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; "standing/remaining"; agrees with rudraḥ

• nir-āśrayatvam: refuge-less state
• nir-āśrayatvam: Karma (कर्म) (object of āpannaḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nir + āśraya (प्रातिपदिक) + -tva (त्व)
• Form: Neuter abstract noun in -त्व, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; "state of having no refuge/support"

• āpannaḥ: having fallen into / having attained
• āpannaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā + √pad (पद् धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; "having reached/entered"; agrees with rudraḥ

• tapaḥ: austerity, penance
• tapaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; object of taptum

• taptum: to perform penance
• taptum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/infinitive complement)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tap (तप् धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमुन्), "to perform austerity / to heat (metaph. to do tapas)"

• vyavasthitaḥ: determined, resolved
• vyavasthitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + ava + √sthā (स्था धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; "resolved/firmly determined"; agrees with rudraḥ

Speakers

• Pulastya narrating within the frame-dialogue

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Rudra)
• Satyā/Satī (as referenced)

Key Themes

• Shaivism
• Tapas (austerity)
• Brahmacarya-vrata
• Grief and renunciation

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Loss and dislocation are redirected into tapas: the verse models how intense personal rupture is transformed into disciplined spiritual resolve rather than despair.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Vamśānucarita/Carita: it is part of the narrative cycle explaining divine actions and conditions leading toward later events (the circumstances culminating in Skanda’s manifestation).

What is the symbolic significance?

Rudra’s brahmacarya and tapas represent the containment and sublimation of cosmic energy; the ‘ascetic heat’ becomes the precondition for subsequent divine outcomes (including the emergence of Skanda in broader tradition).