Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 55

Shukra’s Curse on King Danda and Andhaka’s Challenge to Shiva

Devanagari script

ततस्ताश्तुरोपीह सप्तगोदावरं जलम् संप्राप्य तीर्थे पिष्ठन्ति अर्चन्त्यो हाटकेश्वरम्

Transliteration

tatastāśturopīha saptagodāvaraṃ jalam saṃprāpya tīrthe piṣṭhanti arcantyo hāṭakeśvaram

Translation

Alors ces femmes, parvenues aux eaux de la «Sept-Godāvarī» au tīrtha, accomplirent le rite prescrit (piṣṭhanti) et rendirent un culte à Hāṭakeśvara.

Speakers

• Narrator voice describing ritual actions of the women/pilgrims.

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Tirtha snāna (ritual bathing)
• Śaiva worship at a river-tīrtha
• Local sacred hydrology (Sapta-Godāvarī)
• Ritual offering/observance (piṣṭa-related rite)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is ‘Sapta-Godāvarī’—seven rivers, seven branches, or a ritual name?

The compound ‘sapta-godāvaram jalam’ most naturally reads as a sacral designation of Godāvarī waters connected with ‘sevenfold’ presence—commonly interpreted in tīrtha literature as seven branches/streams, seven bathing spots, or a confluence-complex ritually counted as seven. The verse itself does not enumerate them, but it clearly treats ‘Sapta-Godāvarī’ as a recognized hydrological sacred unit.

Who is Hāṭakeśvara, and why is he worshipped at a river-tīrtha?

Hāṭakeśvara (‘Lord of Gold’) is a Śiva epithet typically tied to a specific liṅga shrine. River tīrthas frequently pair snāna (purificatory bathing) with arcana (deity worship), presenting the river as śakti/purity and the shrine as the personal deity who grants फल (merit, boons).

What does ‘piṣṭhanti’ indicate in ritual terms?

It suggests performance of a rite involving ‘piṣṭa’ (ground flour/dough), such as preparing and offering piṣṭa-based oblations/balls or executing a named observance where piṣṭa is central. In many regional tīrtha traditions, such offerings are linked to śrāddha-like acts, appeasement rites, or specific vrata procedures; the precise manual detail would be supplied by adjacent verses or local paddhati traditions.