Vamana Purana — Sin-Destroying Hymn (Part 1), Shloka 6

The Second Sin-Destroying Hymn (Pāpaśamana Stava) and the Syncretic Praise of Hari-Hara

Devanagari script

कृतावर्तद महावर्त महादेव नमो ऽस्तु ते अनाद्याद्यन्त मध्यान्त नमस्ते पद्मजप्रिय

Transliteration

kṛtāvartada mahāvarta mahādeva namo 'stu te anādyādyanta madhyānta namaste padmajapriya

Translation

હે મહાદેવ! કૃતાવર્તદાતા, મહાવર્તસ્વરૂપ, તમને નમસ્કાર. તમે અનાદિ છો; આદિ-અંત અને મધ્ય-અંતથી પરે; પદ્મજ (બ્રહ્મા)પ્રિય, તમને પ્રણામ.

Speakers

• A devotee/supplicant voice within the chapter’s stuti (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt) addressing Mahadeva

Primary Deities

• Shiva
• Brahma

Key Themes

• Stuti (divine epithets)
• Cosmic paradox and transcendence of time
• Shaiva theology within a broader Purāṇic frame
• Inter-deity relationship (Shiva as ‘beloved of Brahmā)’

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the significance of calling Shiva ‘mahāvarta’ (great whirlpool/turning)?

Āvarta imagery can denote both hydrological power (a turning current) and cosmic cyclicality (the turning of time, dissolution, and re-creation). In stuti, it signals Shiva as the force that governs transformative cycles—spiritual and cosmic.

How can a deity be described as ‘without beginning’ and also ‘having beginning and end’?

This is a deliberate paradox (alaṅkāra) expressing transcendence: the deity is beyond time (anādi) yet also encompasses all temporal phases (ādi–anta, madhya–anta) as the ground of the cosmos. It is not a logical contradiction but a theological totalization.

Who is ‘padmaja’ and why is Shiva called ‘padmajapriya’?

Padmaja is Brahmā, born from the lotus. ‘Beloved of Brahmā’ can indicate harmony among creator and destroyer functions, and it also frames Shiva as honored within the cosmic order Brahmā presides over.