Vamana Purana — Shiva's Wedding Procession (Part 2), Shloka 58
Shiva’s Wedding Procession to Kailasa and the Marriage of Girija (Kali)
ततो ऽब्रवीद्वरो ब्रह्मन् न द्विजान् हन्तुमर्हसि अमी महर्षयो धन्या वालखिल्याः पितामह
tato 'bravīdvaro brahman na dvijān hantumarhasi amī maharṣayo dhanyā vālakhilyāḥ pitāmaha
[{"question": "Why are the gods depicted as spectators on a ‘golden palace-terrace’?", "answer": "Purāṇic style often elevates sacred events into a cosmic theatre: devas witness the divine couple’s līlā from an auspicious, radiant vantage point (hiraṇmaya harmya). This signals the event’s supra-human significance and celebratory grandeur."}, {"question": "Is ‘Kālī’ here a separate goddess from Pārvatī?", "answer": "In many Purāṇic passages, Kālī functions as an aspect (bhāva/rūpa) of Devī rather than a wholly separate deity. The paired mention ‘Śaṅkara–Kālī’ emphasizes Śiva-Śakti complementarity within the same divine household."}, {"question": "What does ‘lokānujuṣṭaṃ padam’ imply?", "answer": "It indicates an abode ‘frequented by the worlds’—a place of cosmic accessibility or renown. In māhātmya literature, such phrasing can also hint at a sanctified locus whose merit extends across realms, even when the specific tīrtha name is not stated in the verse."}]
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
Tīrtha sections frequently embed dharmic norms: the sanctity of initiated persons and sages is reinforced as part of the moral ecology of sacred places. The verse frames the Vālakhilyas as ‘dhanya maharṣis,’ making violence against them a grave adharma that would also pollute the sacred narrative space.
Pitāmaha (‘Grandfather’) is a standard epithet of Brahmā, the progenitor of beings. Its use here confirms that the admonition is directed to Brahmā, urging him to recognize the newly manifested Vālakhilyas as legitimate, venerable ṛṣis.
In Purāṇic diction, varaḥ can denote a superior deity or authoritative sage intervening to prevent adharma. Without adjacent verses, identification is uncertain; candidates typically include Śiva, Viṣṇu, or a presiding ṛṣi who clarifies the status of the Vālakhilyas.