Shloka 20

Gift of Sudarshana — Sanctification of Virupaksha

Devanagari script

अथाभ्येत्य जगन्नाथं सहस्रशिरसं विभुम् आराधयामास हरिः स्वयमात्मानमात्मना

Transliteration

athābhyetya jagannāthaṃ sahasraśirasaṃ vibhum ārādhayāmāsa hariḥ svayamātmānamātmanā

Translation

Then, approaching the Lord of the universe, the all-pervading one of a thousand heads, Hari propitiated him—indeed, by his own self worshipping his own Self.

Speakers

• Narrator voice; Hari is the acting worshipper; the worshipped ‘Jagannātha
• sahasraśiras
• vibhu’ is the addressed deity (contextually Śiva in this chapter’s flow
• though the epithet can be cosmic).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Hari)
• Shiva (Jagannatha/Vibhu—contextual identification)

Key Themes

• Shaiva-Vaishnava Unity
• Non-dual theological hint (Self worships Self)
• Devotional propitiation preceding cosmic intervention

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘Jagannātha’ here—Śiva or Viṣṇu?

The epithet can apply to either in Purāṇic usage, but the immediate narrative sequence (Viṣṇu approaching Maheśvara; Śiva stationed as Yogamūrti) strongly suggests Hari is propitiating Śiva addressed with cosmic titles.

What is the significance of ‘svayam ātmānam ātmanā’ (worshipping the Self by the self)?

It compresses a theological claim: the gods are distinct in function yet one in essence. The phrase can be read as (1) Hari worshipping Śiva while acknowledging shared divine Selfhood, or (2) the Supreme worshipped as the Supreme—an idiom of non-dual unity within devotional action.

Why the epithet ‘sahasraśiras’ (thousand-headed)?

It signals a cosmic, all-encompassing form (akin to Purāṇic/Upaniṣadic ‘Puruṣa’ imagery), elevating the encounter from a local dispute to a universal, dharma-restoring act.