Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 72

Shiva’s Kedara-Tirtha and the Rise of Mura: From Shaiva Pilgrimage to Vaishnava Theology

Devanagari script

ज्ञानयोगं न ते दद्युर्ज्यायांसो ऽपि कनीयसाम् मानमुक्तं महायोगं कपिलादीनपासतः

Transliteration

jñānayogaṃ na te dadyurjyāyāṃso 'pi kanīyasām mānamuktaṃ mahāyogaṃ kapilādīnapāsataḥ

Translation

Walaupun mereka lebih tua, mereka tidak akan mengajarkan jñāna-yoga kepada yang lebih muda; dan mereka menolak Mahā-yoga yang bebas daripada keangkuhan, sebagaimana diajarkan oleh Kapila dan yang lain.

Word by Word

• ज्ञान-योगम्: yoga of knowledge
• ज्ञान-योगम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ज्ञानस्य योगः / ज्ञानेन योगः (अर्थानुसार)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• ते: to you / for you
• ते: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; ‘of you/for you’ (contextual)

• दद्युः: would give
• दद्युः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; √दा = would give

• ज्यायांसः: the elders / superior ones
• ज्यायांसः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्यायस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तुलनात्मक-विशेषण-प्रयोगे ‘elders’

• अपि: even / also
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपवाद-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• कनीयसाम्: of the younger
• कनीयसाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कनीयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘of the younger ones’

• मान-मुक्तम्: free from pride
• मान-मुक्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मान (प्रातिपदिक) + मुच् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘मुक्त’; तत्पुरुषः: मानात् मुक्तः / मानं मुक्तः (sense: free from pride)

• महा-योगम्: great yoga
• महा-योगम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: महान् योगः

• कपिल-आदीन्: Kapila and others
• कपिल-आदीन्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिल (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः: कपिलः आदिः येषां ते (kapila and others)

• अपासतः: they kept away / sat apart
• अपासतः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अप + आस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग ‘अप’; √आस् = to sit; ‘they sat apart/kept away’

Speakers

• Not specified in the provided excerpt (likely narrator-sage voice continuing the account of philosophical lineages).

Key Themes

• Ethics of teaching esoteric knowledge
• Pride (māna) as obstacle to yoga
• Authority of Kapila and classical teachers
• Tension between seniority and qualification

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why would elders refuse to teach jñāna-yoga to juniors—does this reflect a rule?

Purāṇic pedagogy often stresses adhikāra (fitness/qualification). The verse frames a refusal to transmit jñāna-yoga to ‘juniors’ as a social/disciplinary boundary, though the deeper norm is that knowledge should be given to the qualified, not merely by age or rank.

What is the significance of ‘māna-mukta’ (free from pride) in describing mahāyoga?

It signals that the highest yoga is incompatible with egoic self-assertion. ‘Pride-free’ functions as a diagnostic criterion: if pride persists, the practice is not yet mahāyoga in the Purāṇic sense.

What does it mean that they ‘rejected’ Kapila and others’ great yoga?

Within Purāṇic polemical style, this indicates a deviation from authoritative teachings—either through arrogance, sectarian bias, or an āsurī disposition. It underscores that rejecting pride-free discipline leads away from liberative knowledge.