Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 50
Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra
तं प्राह शंभुर्द्विज पश्य मह्यं भस्म प्रवृत्तो ऽङ्गुलितो ऽतिशुक्लम् संताडनादेव न च प्रहर्षो ममास्ति नृनं हि भवान् प्रमत्तः
taṃ prāha śaṃbhurdvija paśya mahyaṃ bhasma pravṛtto 'ṅgulito 'tiśuklam saṃtāḍanādeva na ca praharṣo mamāsti nṛnaṃ hi bhavān pramattaḥ
Śambhu lui dit : « Ô deux-fois-né, regarde-moi. De mon doigt s’écoule une cendre d’une blancheur extrême. Pourtant, du seul fait de cette manifestation née du heurt, je n’éprouve aucune exaltation ; car toi, parmi les hommes, tu es devenu étourdi, enivré de toi-même. »
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "raudra", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The gesture functions as a corrective demonstration: Śiva shows a superior (yet effortless) manifestation to undercut the sage’s vanity and to teach that siddhi-like signs are not grounds for self-exaltation.
Śiva models non-elation (apraharṣa) even when extraordinary power appears, teaching that true tapas is marked by steadiness, not by intoxication or display.
Not mere carelessness, but a spiritual heedlessness—loss of discernment due to pride in one’s ascetic attainment—leading to improper conduct (e.g., celebratory dancing in the surrounding narrative).