Vamana Purana — Harihara Non-Duality, Shloka 53

Harihara Non-Duality and the Revelation of Sadasiva to the Ganas

Devanagari script

अजानन्त तदैक्येन ब्रह्मविष्ण्वीशभास्करान् यदाभिन्नममन्यन्त देवेदेवं सदाशिवम्

Transliteration

ajānanta tadaikyena brahmaviṣṇvīśabhāskarān yadābhinnamamanyanta devedevaṃ sadāśivam

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ആ ഏകതാബോധത്തിലൂടെ അവർ സത്യം അറിഞ്ഞു—ബ്രഹ്മാ, വിഷ്ണു, ഈശൻ (ശിവൻ), ഭാസ്കരൻ (സൂര്യൻ) ഇവരെ അഭിന്നരെന്നു കരുതിയപ്പോൾ, ദേവദേവനായ സദാശിവനെയേ ഏക പരമ ദിവ്യതത്ത്വമായി തിരിച്ചറിഞ്ഞു।

Speakers

• Narratorial voice (Purāṇic narrator) describing the spiritual state of the devotees/attendants (pārṣadas) in the Saro context

Primary Deities

• Sadāśiva (Śiva)
• Viṣṇu
• Brahmā
• Sūrya (Bhāskara)

Key Themes

• Shaiva–Vaishnava Unity
• Non-difference of deities (abheda)
• Liberating knowledge (jñāna)
• Supremacy framed as inclusive (devedeva)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Does the verse teach that all deities are literally the same, or that they are one in essence?

The key term is abhinna (‘non-different’). In Purāṇic theology this commonly means unity of essence/power (tattva/śakti) while allowing distinct names, forms, and functions in worship and myth.

Why is Bhāskara (the Sun) included alongside Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva?

Including Bhāskara signals a comprehensive ‘pantheon-in-one’ vision: even prominent Vedic/Smārta deities like Sūrya are integrated into the single supreme reality, reinforcing the universality of the teaching.

Why is Sadāśiva singled out as ‘devedeva’ if the verse asserts non-difference?

Purāṇas often express unity through a chosen theological lens. Here the unity is articulated with Sadāśiva as the naming-point of the supreme, without denying the same supremacy to Viṣṇu in other contexts—hence a sect-transcending abheda framed in Shaiva idiom.