Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 7
Shiva’s Kedara-Tirtha and the Rise of Mura: From Shaiva Pilgrimage to Vaishnava Theology
स्थानं त्रैलोक्यमास्थाय मूलाहारो ऽम्बुभोजनः वाय्वाहारस्तदा तस्थौ नववरिषशतं क्रमात्
sthānaṃ trailokyamāsthāya mūlāhāro 'mbubhojanaḥ vāyvāhārastadā tasthau navavariṣaśataṃ kramāt
Habiendo tomado su puesto como si abarcara los tres mundos, se sustentó con raíces, luego con agua y después con aire; así, en debido orden, permaneció en austeridad durante novecientos años.
{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
It is best read as Purāṇic hyperbole indicating the ascetic’s tapas becomes ‘world-filling’ in potency—his presence and vow acquire cosmic consequence, not that he physically occupies all realms.
It encodes graded renunciation: from minimal solid food (roots) to liquid-only (water) to prāṇa-based subsistence (air). This is a standard Purāṇic way to signal intensification of tapas and mastery over bodily needs.
Yes. Such long durations mark tapas as supra-human and legitimizing—establishing the yati’s authority and the inevitability of divine response in later narrative developments.