Vamana Purana — Harihara Non-Duality, Shloka 26

Harihara Non-Duality and the Revelation of Sadasiva to the Ganas

Devanagari script

रुद्र उवाच/ भव्द्भिर्भक्तिसंयुक्तैर्हरो भावेन पूजितः अहङ्कारविमूढैश्च निन्दद्भिर्वैष्णवं पदम्

Transliteration

rudra uvāca/ bhavdbhirbhaktisaṃyuktairharo bhāvena pūjitaḥ ahaṅkāravimūḍhaiśca nindadbhirvaiṣṇavaṃ padam

Translation

{"scene_description": "Śukra’s slender daughter, ornaments disturbed, dust on her body, steps out of the hermitage and stands outside with face lowered, grief heavy and silent.", "primary_figures": ["Śukra’s daughter"], "setting": "Hermitage exterior—threshold, forest clearing, dust on ground; no crowd, emphasizing isolation.", "color_palette": ["pale brown", "ash gray", "muted saffron", "dull white", "soft green"], "tanjore_prompt": "Tanjore style with restrained gold; solitary figure of Śukra’s daughter at the āśrama threshold, head bowed, dust-smeared; background yajña-kuṇḍa faintly visible; emphasis on karuṇa and dignity, modest drapery, no sensationalism.", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature, soft pastels; lone woman outside a hut, downcast face, tear lines suggested; delicate forest and quiet sky; minimal figures to heighten solitude.", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural, bold outlines; the maiden in profile with lowered gaze, dust indicated by stippled earth tones; āśrama architecture stylized; mood solemn.", "pattachitra_prompt": "Pattachitra, flat colors and ornate border; central solitary figure outside hermitage; symbolic motifs (fallen flower, broken bangle) to convey grief and dishonor."}

Speakers

• Rudra (Śiva) speaking to a group of devotees/attendants (gaṇas implied by the following verse)

Primary Deities

• Rudra/Śiva (Hara)
• Viṣṇu

Key Themes

• Shaiva–Vaishnava Unity
• Condemnation of sectarian reviling (nindā)
• Bhakti as the proper mode of worship
• Ego (ahaṅkāra) as spiritual delusion

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is meant by “vaiṣṇavaṃ padam” here?

In this context it denotes the sacred standing/path associated with Viṣṇu—often extended to include reverence for Viṣṇu’s devotees and the Vaiṣṇava tradition. Rudra frames reviling it as a fault rooted in ego.

Why does Rudra criticize those who worship Śiva but revile Viṣṇu?

Because the chapter’s teaching moves toward Hari–Hara non-difference: true devotion is incompatible with sectarian disparagement. Ego-driven nindā undermines the spiritual fruit of worship.

Is this verse a polemic against Vaiṣṇavas or Śaivas?

No. It functions as an anti-sectarian admonition: devotion (bhakti) is praised, while reviling another deity’s ‘pada’ is condemned as delusion (vimūḍhatā).