Vamana Purana — Sin-Destroying Hymn (Part 1), Shloka 33

The Second Sin-Destroying Hymn (Pāpaśamana Stava) and the Syncretic Praise of Hari-Hara

Devanagari script

नमस्ते यज्ञपुरुष यज्ञभागभुजे नमः नमः सहस्रधाराय शतधाराय ते नमः

Transliteration

namaste yajñapuruṣa yajñabhāgabhuje namaḥ namaḥ sahasradhārāya śatadhārāya te namaḥ

Translation

{"scene_description": "Vāmana, as divine teacher, begins a discourse; Bharadvāja listens intently. Around them, symbolic icons of tīrthas appear—river confluences, mountains, temples—suggesting an upcoming enumeration.", "primary_figures": ["Vāmana", "Bharadvāja"], "setting": "Hermitage teaching scene with visionary haloed backdrop of sacred geography", "color_palette": ["gold", "river blue", "leaf green", "terracotta", "white"], "tanjore_prompt": "Tanjore style, Vāmana seated as teacher with gold halo, Bharadvāja attentive, surrounding aureole filled with miniature icons of rivers, mountains, temples, heavy gold leaf, ornate arch (prabhāmaṇḍala)", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature, Vāmana speaking with gentle hand gesture, Bharadvāja seated on kusa grass, soft landscape with faint river and mountain motifs, pastel palette, lyrical calm", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural, Vāmana with stylized crown and ornaments, Bharadvāja with rishi features, background patterned with symbolic tīrtha emblems, bold outlines, temple mural symmetry", "pattachitra_prompt": "Pattachitra, narrative panel of Vāmana beginning tīrtha discourse, border medallions showing river, mountain, shrine, lake, flat colors and decorative motifs"}

Word by Word

:

Speakers

• A devotee/praiser addressing the Supreme as Yajñapuruṣa within the Saro-māhātmya setting.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Yajñapuruṣa)

Key Themes

• Ritual theology: offerings and divine reception
• Stuti as a means of merit
• Abundance imagery (streams/flows)
• Tīrtha-hymn style within a māhātmya

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘Yajñapuruṣa’ in Purāṇic usage?

Yajñapuruṣa is the divine ‘Person’ who is both the inner reality of sacrifice and the true recipient of offerings. Even when multiple deities receive shares, the Purāṇic frame often presents the Supreme (commonly Viṣṇu) as the ultimate ground of yajña.

What does ‘yajñabhāgabhuje’ convey?

It states that the Lord ‘partakes of the sacrificial portion’—meaning offerings are not merely symbolic; they are ritually directed to a real divine recipient, and the efficacy of yajña is anchored in that relationship.

How should ‘śata-dhārā’ and ‘sahasra-dhārā’ be understood?

They can denote (a) the many ‘streams’ of oblations (ghee, soma, etc.) in ritual, (b) the many streams of grace/boons, or (c) tīrtha imagery of manifold waters. In a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter, the polyvalence is likely intentional.