Vamana Purana — Saptarishis Seek Uma for Shiva, Shloka 23

The Saptarishis Seek Uma for Shiva: Himavan Grants the Marriage

Devanagari script

ततः सा मनसा देवं शूलपाणिं वृषध्वजम् रुद्रं चेतसि संधाय तपस्तेपे सुदुष्करम्

Transliteration

tataḥ sā manasā devaṃ śūlapāṇiṃ vṛṣadhvajam rudraṃ cetasi saṃdhāya tapastepe suduṣkaram

Translation

Kemudian ia meneguhkan dalam hati, melalui batinnya, Dewa Rudra—Śūlapāṇi sang pemegang trisula, Vṛṣadhvaja yang berpanji lembu—lalu menjalankan tapa yang amat sukar.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Kāla/Deśa-adhikaraṇa (काल/देश-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) of sequence

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• manasā: with (her) mind
• manasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• devam: the god
• devam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• śūla-pāṇim: the trident-handed (one)
• śūla-pāṇim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūla (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; बहुव्रीहि-like epithet in usage, but form is tatpuruṣa ‘śūlaḥ pāṇau yasya’

• vṛṣa-dhvajam: bull-bannered
• vṛṣa-dhvajam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; epithet ‘whose banner is the bull’ (sense close to bahuvrīhi)

• rudram: Rudra
• rudram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; apposition to devam

• cetasi: in (her) heart/mind
• cetasi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• saṃdhāya: having fixed (him)
• saṃdhāya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√dhā (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), ‘having fixed/placed (in mind)’

• tapaḥ: austerity/penance
• tapaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; object of tepe

• tepe: performed (austerity)
• tepe: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); ātmanepada

• su-duṣkaram: very difficult
• su-duṣkaram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + duṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; agrees with tapaḥ; karmadhāraya ‘very difficult’

Speakers

• Narrator voice (frame dialogue not explicit in excerpt; commonly Pulastya → Nārada)

Primary Deities

• Rudra (Shiva)
• Umā (Pārvatī)

Key Themes

• Shaivism
• Dhyāna (meditation)
• Tapas (austerity)
• Bhakti
• Iconic epithets of Shiva

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

True tapas is not mere bodily hardship but sustained inner concentration (cetasi saṃdhāya) upon the divine; discipline becomes efficacious when yoked to focused devotion.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Vamśānucarita / carita: a devotional-ascetic episode explaining the rise of a key deity-figure (Umā) and her relation to Rudra, embedded within Purāṇic sacred history.

What is the symbolic significance?

Rudra’s epithets encode theology: Śūlapāṇi signifies mastery over the threefold bind (often read as guṇas or triads), and Vṛṣadhvaja signals dharma/steadfast power; Umā’s ‘heart-fixing’ indicates union through interiorization rather than external ritual alone.