Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 18
Shiva’s Kedara-Tirtha and the Rise of Mura: From Shaiva Pilgrimage to Vaishnava Theology
तत्र स्नात्वा शुचिर्भूत्वा जगामाथ सरस्वतीम् वृतां तीर्थशतैः पुण्यैः प्लक्षजां पापनाशिनीम्
tatra snātvā śucirbhūtvā jagāmātha sarasvatīm vṛtāṃ tīrthaśataiḥ puṇyaiḥ plakṣajāṃ pāpanāśinīm
അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ശുദ്ധനായ ശേഷം അവൻ സരസ്വതീ നദിയിലേക്കു പോയി—പുണ്യമായ നൂറുകണക്കിന് തീർത്ഥങ്ങളാൽ വൃതയായ, പ്ലക്ഷജാത, പാപനാശിനി।
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
It is an epithet indicating Sarasvatī’s association with Plakṣa—understood either as a mythic source-point marked by a Plakṣa tree or as a Plakṣa-region. In tīrtha literature, such epithets function as geographic mnemonics, anchoring a river’s sanctity to a named landmark.
The phrase tīrthaśataiḥ frames Sarasvatī not as a single site but as a corridor of sanctified fords. This is typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa’s geographic style: holiness is distributed across a riverine network, encouraging pilgrimage itineraries rather than a single destination.
Snāna (bathing) is presented as both physical and moral purification; śuci denotes ritual fitness for subsequent acts (japa, worship, vows). The verse sets up the next action—immersion and mantra-recitation—as properly grounded in purity.