Vamana Purana — Shiva's Wedding Procession (Part 2), Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

महास्थिशेखरी चारुरोचनालिकलो हरः सिंहाजिनी चालिनीलभुजङ्गकृतकुण्डलः

Transliteration

mahāsthiśekharī cārurocanālikalo haraḥ siṃhājinī cālinīlabhujaṅgakṛtakuṇḍalaḥ

Translation

{'mahāhi': 'great serpent', 'ratna': 'jewel', 'valayaḥ': 'bracelet/bangle', 'hāra': 'necklace', 'keyūra': 'armlet', 'nūpuraḥ': 'anklet', 'samunnata': 'lofty, raised high', 'jaṭā': 'matted locks', 'bhāraḥ': 'mass, burden (here: thick weight of hair)', 'vṛṣabhasthaḥ': 'seated/standing upon the bull (Nandin)', 'virājate': 'shines, appears splendid'}

Speakers

• Narrative frame not stated in the provided excerpt (often Pulastya → Nārada in the Vāmana Purāṇa)

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Hara)

Key Themes

• Shaivism
• Iconography
• Ascetic symbolism

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Śiva’s adornments invert worldly luxury: bones, skins, and serpents symbolize mastery over fear, death, and desire—an ethic of detachment and inner sovereignty.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

It is descriptive material within Vaṃśānucarita/Ākhyāna-style narration (characterization of deities), not a primary cosmogonic (sarga) passage.

What is the symbolic significance?

Lion-skin indicates untamed power subdued; serpent-earrings signify control of primal energies (nāga/kuṇḍalinī resonances in later readings) and fearlessness in the cremation-ground aesthetic of Śaiva theology.