Vamana Purana — Harihara Revelation, Shloka 70

Harihara Revelation and the Kurukshetra Tirtha Cycle: Sthanu in Vishnu and the Sanctification of Saptasarasvata

Devanagari script

चतुर्थो राजसो नाम रक्तवर्णश्चतुर्मुखः द्विभुजो धारयन् मालं सृष्टिकृच्चादिपूरुषः

Transliteration

caturtho rājaso nāma raktavarṇaścaturmukhaḥ dvibhujo dhārayan mālaṃ sṛṣṭikṛccādipūruṣaḥ

Translation

चौथा ‘राजस’ नावाने प्रसिद्ध आहे—रक्तवर्ण, चतुर्मुख, द्विभुज, माळ धारण करणारा; तोच सृष्टीकर्ता, आदिपुरुष आहे.

Word by Word

• चतुर्थः: fourth
• चतुर्थः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ordinal adjective

• राजसः: rajasic
• राजसः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राजस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; quality adjective (of rajas)

• नाम: by name/indeed
• नाम: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), ‘indeed/by name’

• रक्तवर्णः: red-colored
• रक्तवर्णः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (red-colored)

• चतुर्मुखः: four-faced
• चतुर्मुखः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (four-faced)

• द्विभुजः: two-armed
• द्विभुजः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (two-armed)

• धारयन्: bearing/holding
• धारयन्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मालाम्: garland
• मालाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• सृष्टिकृत्: creator
• सृष्टिकृत्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (creator of creation)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• आदिपूरुषः: primordial person
• आदिपूरुषः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (the primordial person)

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher figure addressing a sage (mahāmune implied in the passage)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (as source of emanations)
• Brahma (implied by caturmukha iconography)

Key Themes

• Guṇa theory (rajas)
• Sṛṣṭi (creation)
• Iconography of the four-faced creator
• Emanation theology (creative agent as derived)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is this verse identifying Brahmā directly?

The markers ‘caturmukha’ (four-faced) and ‘sṛṣṭikṛt’ (creator) strongly evoke Brahmā. However, the framing ‘My rājasa form’ suggests a theological hierarchy: the creative office is an emanation or delegated function under the Supreme source.

Why is the rājasa principle described as red?

Red (rakta) is a standard symbolic color for rajas—energy, passion, and activity—matching the creative surge that projects the manifest world.

What is the significance of calling the creator ‘ādi-pūruṣa’ here?

In this local cosmological enumeration, it denotes the first operative ‘person-principle’ of creation within the manifesting sequence, not necessarily the absolute Supreme Puruṣa. The text can use ‘puruṣa’ flexibly for cosmic agents.