Vamana Purana — Indra's Penance & Aditi's Vow, Shloka 18

Indra’s Penance at the Great River and Aditi’s Solar Vow for Vishnu’s Descent

Devanagari script

महानदी यत्र सुरर्षिकन्या जलापदेशाद्धिमशैलमेत्य चक्रे जगत्पापविनष्टिमग्र्यां संदर्शनप्राशनमञ्जनेन

Transliteration

mahānadī yatra surarṣikanyā jalāpadeśāddhimaśailametya cakre jagatpāpavinaṣṭimagryāṃ saṃdarśanaprāśanamañjanena

Translation

वहाँ महा-नदी है, जहाँ एक दिव्य ऋषि की कन्या जल लेने के बहाने हिमालय को पहुँची और उस नदी के दर्शन, पान तथा स्नान मात्र से जग�Vamana Purana,52,20,VamP 52.20,te dhundhuvākyaṃ tu niśamya daityāḥ procurna no vidyati lokapāla gatiryayā yāma pitāmahājiraṃ sudurgamo 'yaṃ parato hi mārgaḥ,ते धुन्धुवाक्यं तु निशम्य दैत्याः प्रोचुर्न नो विद्यति लोकपाल गतिर्यया याम पितामहाजिरं सुदुर्गमो ऽयं परतो हि मार्गः,Dhundhu-Daitya Episode (Deva–Asura Conflict),Mythic Narrative / Counsel and Objection,Adhyaya 52 (Daityas assess the route to Brahmā’s court),20,te dhundhuvākyaṃ tu niśamya daityāḥ procurna no vidyati lokapāla gatiryayā yāma pitāmahājiraṃ sudurgamo 'yaṃ parato hi mārgaḥ,te dhundhu-vākyaṃ tu niśamya daityāḥ procurna no vidyati loka-pāla | gatir yayā yāma pitāmahājiraṃ sudurgamo 'yaṃ parato hi mārgaḥ ||,Hearing Dhundhu’s words

Speakers

• (Contextual tīrtha-māhātmya narration; speaker not specified in the excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Mahānadī (as sacred river)

Key Themes

• River as tīrtha (nadī-māhātmya)
• Purification through darśana/pāna/snānā
• Mythic etiology of a sacred river’s power
• Accessibility of merit through simple acts

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What practices are highlighted as sufficient for purification at this river?

Three classic tīrtha-acts are named: darśana (seeing the sacred water), prāśana (drinking), and mañjana (bathing). The verse frames them as intrinsically sin-destroying at Mahānadī.

Who is the ‘surarṣi-kanyā’ and why is she mentioned?

She functions as an etiological figure explaining the river’s exceptional pāpa-haraṇa power. Even without her personal name in this excerpt, the Purāṇic pattern is clear: a celestial-sage lineage and a journey to Himālaya confer sanctity and cosmic efficacy on the river.

Why is the Himālaya invoked in a river-māhātmya?

Himālaya is a paradigmatic source-region for sacred waters and tapas. Mentioning dhimaśaila situates Mahānadī within a sanctified Himalayan cosmography, strengthening its authority as a purifier.