Vamana Purana — Sin-Destroying Hymn (Part 2), Shloka 25

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

Devanagari script

अगस्तयं गरुडं विष्णुं कपिलं ब्रह्मवाङ्मयम् सनातनं च ब्रह्माणं नमस्ये ब्रह्मतत्परम्

Transliteration

agastayaṃ garuḍaṃ viṣṇuṃ kapilaṃ brahmavāṅmayam sanātanaṃ ca brahmāṇaṃ namasye brahmatatparam

Translation

હું અગસ્ત્ય, ગરુડ, વિષ્ણુ અને કપિલને નમસ્કાર કરું છું—જે બ્રહ્મવાઙ્મય, પવિત્ર વાણીરૂપ બ્રહ્મ છે. તેમજ પરબ્રહ્મમાં તત્પર સનાતન બ્રહ્માને પણ પ્રણામ કરું છું.

Speakers

• Stuti voice within the narrative (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Garuḍa
• Brahma

Key Themes

• Vedic revelation as divine speech (vāṅmaya)
• Sage-authority and darśana lineage (Kapila/Sāṅkhya)
• Devotional salutation to devas and ṛṣis
• Brahman as highest principle

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are sages like Agastya and Kapila included alongside gods in a stuti?

Purāṇic stutis often treat great ṛṣis as carriers of divine power (tapas) and revelation (śruti/smṛti). In tīrtha contexts, honoring sages acknowledges the human-divine transmission of dharma and the sanctification of landscapes through their presence.

How should ‘brahmavāṅmayam’ be understood for Kapila?

It portrays Kapila as embodying Brahman in the form of sacred utterance—Vedic/mantric truth articulated as ‘Word’. The phrase elevates his teaching authority beyond mere philosophy, aligning it with revealed, spiritually efficacious speech.

What does ‘brahmatatparam’ add to the description of Brahmā?

It frames Brahmā not only as creator but as oriented toward the Supreme Brahman—suggesting that even the cosmic creator’s highest devotion/goal is the transcendent Absolute, a common Purāṇic move to subordinate functional deities to ultimate reality.