Vamana Purana — Sin-Destroying Hymn (Part 1), Shloka 39
The Second Sin-Destroying Hymn (Pāpaśamana Stava) and the Syncretic Praise of Hari-Hara
स्रुक्स्रुवौ परधामासि कपालोलूखलो ऽरणिः यज्ञपात्राणेयस्त्वमेकधा बहुधा त्रिधा
sruksruvau paradhāmāsi kapālolūkhalo 'raṇiḥ yajñapātrāṇeyastvamekadhā bahudhā tridhā
[{"question": "What is the doctrinal point of listing ‘knower, knowable, and knowledge’?", "answer": "It expresses a non-dual or integrative theology: all three components of cognition—subject, object, and the knowing process—are ultimately dependent on and pervaded by Īśvara. The verse thus frames spiritual knowledge as participation in the divine ground rather than a merely human acquisition."}, {"question": "How can the Lord be both ‘sacrifice’ and ‘sacrificer/officiant’?", "answer": "Purāṇic yajña-theology treats sacrifice as a cosmic process: the Lord is the substance offered, the one who offers, the ritual order that makes offering meaningful, and the recipient. This collapses the separation between worship and worshipped, emphasizing total consecration."}, {"question": "Does this verse lean toward bhakti, jñāna, or karma?", "answer": "It deliberately fuses all three: karma through yajña roles, bhakti through īḍya (adorable/praiseworthy), and jñāna/dhyāna through the epistemic and meditative triads. This is characteristic of Purāṇic synthesis, especially in tirtha contexts where pilgrimage acts are paired with inner realization."}]
{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The list intentionally spans orthodox Vedic yajña and ascetic/Śaiva ritual symbolism. By identifying the Lord with both, the text asserts that the sacred is not confined to one ritual idiom; all legitimate sacrificial and transformative acts are grounded in the same Īśvara.
At minimum it states a metaphysical principle: the deity is one reality appearing as many forms. ‘Threefold’ commonly evokes Purāṇic/Vedic triads (e.g., three sacred fires, three Vedas, or three guṇas). The verse leaves the triad open, allowing multiple orthodox readings while preserving the core claim of unity.
In tirtha-mahātmya chapters, hymns often universalize the pilgrimage act: the merit of a place is tied to recognizing the Lord as present in the very structure of worship (yajña). The stuti supplies the theological lens through which the geography becomes spiritually efficacious.