Vamana Purana — Shiva's Wedding Procession (Part 1), Shloka 18

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

Devanagari script

ततः सर्वे महात्मानास्तपसा धौतकल्मषाः समासाद्य महाद्वारं संतस्थुर्द्वाःस्थकारणात्

Transliteration

tataḥ sarve mahātmānāstapasā dhautakalmaṣāḥ samāsādya mahādvāraṃ saṃtasthurdvāḥsthakāraṇāt

Translation

Then all those great-souled ones, whose sins had been washed away by austerity, reached the great gate and stood there, in accordance with the protocol of the gatekeepers.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), अव्यय-प्रकारः: काल/अनन्तर (temporal adverb: 'thereupon/then')

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• mahātmānaḥ: great-souled ones, sages
• mahātmānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-ātman (मह + आत्मन्; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (महान् आत्मा यस्य/महान् आत्मा)

• tapasā: by austerity
• tapasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (तपस्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• dhauta-kalmaṣāḥ: whose sins were cleansed
• dhauta-kalmaṣāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhauta (धौत; √dhāv/√dhū? धातु-जन्य कृदन्त) + kalmaṣa (कल्मष-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धौतं कल्मषं येषाम्); 'dhauta' = भूतकृदन्त/कृदन्त-विशेषण (past participle: 'washed/cleansed')

• samāsādya: having approached
• samāsādya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√sad (सम्+आ+सद्; धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; अर्थः: 'having approached/reached'

• mahā-dvāram: the great gate
• mahā-dvāram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + dvāra (मह + द्वार; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (महद् द्वारम्)

• saṃtasthuḥ: they stood/they halted
• saṃtasthuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√sthā (सम्+स्था; धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• dvāḥstha-kāraṇāt: because of the doorkeeper (as the cause)
• dvāḥstha-kāraṇāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvāḥstha (द्वाःस्थ; प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (कारण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (द्वाःस्थस्य कारणम् → द्वाःस्थकारणम्)

Speakers

• Narration (speaker not explicit in excerpt; commonly within Pulastya → Nārada frame)

Key Themes

• Tapas and purification
• Etiquette at sacred/royal thresholds
• Guardianship and ordered access

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Spiritual purity (dhautakalmaṣa) does not negate social order; the verse upholds maryādā—right conduct and respect for boundaries—even for ascetics and ‘great souls.’

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is situational narration supporting a larger sacred-geography or pilgrimage account; it functions as contextual dharma-teaching rather than one of the five defining Purāṇic topics.

What is the symbolic significance?

The ‘great gate’ represents a liminal threshold between ordinary and sanctified space; gatekeepers symbolize discernment and discipline—entry into higher realms requires both inner purification (tapas) and outer propriety (maryādā).