Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 44

Shiva’s Kedara-Tirtha and the Rise of Mura: From Shaiva Pilgrimage to Vaishnava Theology

Devanagari script

स सरय्वास्तटे वीरं राजानं सूर्यवंशजम् ददृशो रघुनामानं दीक्षितं यज्ञकर्मणि

Transliteration

sa sarayvāstaṭe vīraṃ rājānaṃ sūryavaṃśajam dadṛśo raghunāmānaṃ dīkṣitaṃ yajñakarmaṇi

Translation

Di tepi Sarayū ia melihat raja pahlawan dari Dinasti Surya, bernama Raghu, yang telah ditahbiskan untuk melaksanakan upacara yajña.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative Singular; pronoun

• sarayvāḥ: of Sarayū
• sarayvāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarayū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• taṭe: on the bank
• taṭe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• vīram: heroic/brave
• vīram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; adjective qualifying rājānam

• rājānam: king
• rājānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative Singular

• sūrya-vaṃśajam: born in the Solar dynasty
• sūrya-vaṃśajam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + vaṃśaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative Singular; तत्पुरुषः—‘सूर्यवंशे जातः’

• dadṛśa: saw
• dadṛśa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person, Singular; Parasmaipada

• raghu-nāmānam: named Raghu
• raghu-nāmānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raghu (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative Singular; तत्पुरुषः—‘रघु नाम यस्य’ (named Raghu)

• dīkṣitam: consecrated/initiated
• dīkṣitam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dīkṣita (कृदन्त from dīkṣ धातु)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative Singular; past participle used adjectivally ‘initiated/consecrated’

• yajña-karmaṇi: in the ritual act of sacrifice
• yajña-karmaṇi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; तत्पुरुषः—‘यज्ञस्य कर्म’

Speakers

• Narratorial voice (Purāṇic narrator).

Primary Deities

• Surya

Key Themes

• Tirtha-adjacent royal ritual
• Vedic sacrifice (yajña) and consecration (dīkṣā)
• Solar dynasty (Sūryavaṃśa) royal ideology
• Encounter motif between Asura and dharmic king

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Which Raghu is meant here—does it connect to the Rāmāyaṇa lineage?

‘Raghu’ is the eponymous ancestor of the Raghu line within the Sūryavaṃśa (Ikṣvāku dynasty), the same royal lineage celebrated in the Rāmāyaṇa. Purāṇic narration often uses such figures to anchor events in a well-known dynastic-sacral geography centered on rivers like the Sarayū.

What does ‘dīkṣita’ indicate about the king’s status at this moment?

It means the king has undergone dīkṣā—ritual consecration/initiatory vows for a yajña. This marks him as temporarily bound by sacrificial discipline, purity rules, and a sacred timetable, which heightens the dramatic stakes of any interruption or encounter.

Why stage the scene specifically on the Sarayū’s bank?

Riverbanks are classic yajña-sites and tirtha zones: they provide ritual purity, water for offerings and ablutions, and a sacral landscape. In the Vāmana Purāṇa’s geography-forward style, naming Sarayū situates the narrative within a recognizable sacred map.