Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 17

Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

पला द्वादश तोयस्य पलाष्टौ पयसः सुराः षट्पलं सर्पिषः प्रोक्तं दिवसे दिवसे पिबेत्

Transliteration

palā dvādaśa toyasya palāṣṭau payasaḥ surāḥ ṣaṭpalaṃ sarpiṣaḥ proktaṃ divase divase pibet

Translation

«(Qu’il prenne) douze palas d’eau, huit palas de lait et six palas de ghee (beurre clarifié) : telle est la prescription. Jour après jour, qu’il boive ces portions mesurées.»

Word by Word

• पलाः: palas (a weight measure)
• पलाः: Pramāṇa (प्रमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचक (measure)

• द्वादश: twelve
• द्वादश: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादशन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याविशेषण; (here) प्रथमा-बहुवचनार्थे पलाः इति विशेषण

• तोयस्य: of water
• तोयस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• पलाः: palas
• पलाः: Pramāṇa (प्रमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचक

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण (palāḥ)

• पयसः: of milk
• पयसः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सुराः: the gods
• सुराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (here) देवाः इत्यर्थे

• षट्पलम्: six palas
• षट्पलम्: Pramāṇa (प्रमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट् + पल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (six palas)

• सर्पिषः: of ghee
• सर्पिषः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्पिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रोक्तम्: is stated/declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगार्थक

• दिवसे: on a day
• दिवसे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• दिवसे: day by day
• दिवसे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (each day)

• पिबेत्: should drink
• पिबेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speakers

• (Implied continuation of Pulastya’s instruction to Nārada; the speaker is not explicitly marked in this śloka but follows the didactic flow of the chapter.)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vāsudeva)

Key Themes

• Prāyaścitta (expiation)
• Kṛcchra-type austerity
• Ritual measurement and discipline
• Kāya-śuddhi (bodily purification)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What practice is being prescribed here—ordinary diet or a ritual austerity?

The verse reads as a vidhi (injunction) with measured quantities (palā) and the optative ‘pibet’ (“should drink”), indicating a regulated austerity/prāyaścitta regimen rather than ordinary nourishment.

Why are water, milk, and ghee singled out?

In Dharma and Purāṇic prāyaścitta contexts, these are considered sāttvika, purifying substances; their measured intake supports bodily restraint (kāya-niyama) while maintaining minimal sustenance for vrata performance.

Does this verse contain any tīrtha-geography typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

Not in this śloka itself. It functions as a procedural rule within a broader māhātmya/vrata discussion; the geographical frame is supplied by the surrounding Saro-māhātmya narrative rather than by this line.