Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 71

Shiva’s Kedara-Tirtha and the Rise of Mura: From Shaiva Pilgrimage to Vaishnava Theology

Devanagari script

सांख्येवेत्तारमपरं कपिलं वोढुमासुरिम् दृष्ट्वा पञ्चशिखं श्रेष्ठं योगयुक्तं तपोनिधिम्

Transliteration

sāṃkhyevettāramaparaṃ kapilaṃ voḍhumāsurim dṛṣṭvā pañcaśikhaṃ śreṣṭhaṃ yogayuktaṃ taponidhim

Translation

Al ver a Pañcaśikha—excelso, disciplinado en el yoga, tesoro de austeridad—ellos, con ánimo āsurī, procuraron sostener y aceptar a Kapila como otro conocedor supremo del Sāṃkhya.

Word by Word

• सांख्य-वेतारम्: knower of Sāṃkhya
• सांख्य-वेतारम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांख्य (प्रातिपदिक) + वेतृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः): सांख्यस्य वेत्ता = sāṃkhyasya vettā

• अपरम्: other / another
• अपरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• कपिलम्: Kapila
• कपिलम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम

• वोढुम्: to carry/lead (away)
• वोढुम्: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-रूप (infinitive); √वह् = to carry/lead

• आसुरिम्: Āsuri
• आसुरिम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसुरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); √दृश् = having seen

• पञ्च-शिखम्: Pañcaśikha (the one with five tufts; proper name)
• पञ्च-शिखम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + शिख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः: पञ्च शिखाः यस्य (नामरूपेण)

• श्रेष्ठम्: excellent / best
• श्रेष्ठम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• योग-युक्तम्: endowed with yoga
• योग-युक्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक) + युज् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) ‘युक्त’; तत्पुरुषः: योगेन युक्तः = joined with yoga

• तपो-निधिम्: treasure of austerity
• तपो-निधिम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी): तपसः निधिः

Speakers

• Not specified in the provided excerpt (likely narrator-sage voice within a cosmological/philosophical catalogue).

Key Themes

• Authority of Sāṃkhya and Yoga lineages
• Ascetic excellence (tapas) as credential
• Polemic contrast: daivī vs āsurī dispositions

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is Pañcaśikha in Purāṇic/Itihāsa traditions?

Pañcaśikha is remembered as a major Sāṃkhya teacher, often linked to the transmission of Sāṃkhya doctrines. Here he is praised as yogayukta and tapo-nidhi, marking him as an exemplary ascetic-philosopher.

How should āsurīm be understood here—literally ‘demonic’ or ‘contrary to dharma’?

In Purāṇic diction, āsurī can denote asura-affiliation, but it also functions as a moral-philosophical label for a disposition opposed to daivī (divine) virtues—pride, contentiousness, or improper appropriation of sacred knowledge.

Does the verse mention any tīrtha or geographic marker?

No. The content is doctrinal/lineage-focused and contains no rivers, forests, or pilgrimage sites.