Vamana Purana — Jabali on the Banyan Tree, Shloka 68

Jabali Bound on the Banyan Tree and Nandayanti’s Appeal at Sri-Kantha on the Yamuna

Devanagari script

गच्छस्व सुभगे देशं सप्तगोदावरं शुभम् तत्रोपास्य महेशानं महान्तं हाटकेश्वरम्

Transliteration

gacchasva subhage deśaṃ saptagodāvaraṃ śubham tatropāsya maheśānaṃ mahāntaṃ hāṭakeśvaram

Translation

‘ਹੇ ਸੁਭਾਗੀਏ! ਸਪਤਗੋਦਾਵਰ ਨਾਮਕ ਸ਼ੁਭ ਦੇਸ਼ ਨੂੰ ਜਾ; ਉੱਥੇ ਮਹਾਨ ਹਾਟਕੇਸ਼ਵਰ ਮਹੇਸ਼ਾਨ ਦੀ ਉਪਾਸਨਾ ਕਰ।’

Word by Word

• गच्छस्व: go
• गच्छस्व: क्रिया (Kriyā/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• सुभगे: O fortunate one
• सुभगे: सम्बोधन (Sambodhana/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुभग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Vocative)

• देशम्: to the region
• देशम्: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सप्तगोदावरम्: (the land of) seven Godāvarīs / sevenfold Godāvarī
• सप्तगोदावरम्: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त + गोदावर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (numerical compound) विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘देशम्’)

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘देशम्’)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• उपास्य: having worshipped
• उपास्य: पूर्वकालक्रिया (Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-आस् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive): ‘having worshipped/served’

• महेशानम्: Mahēśāna (the great Lord)
• महेशानम्: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + ईशान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘महान् ईशानः’

• महान्तम्: great
• महान्तम्: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘महेशानम्/हाटकेश्वरम्’)

• हाटकेश्वरम्: Hāṭakeśvara (Lord of Hāṭaka)
• हाटकेश्वरम्: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हाटक + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘हाटकस्य ईश्वरः’

Speakers

• The yogin instructing the ‘subhage’ woman (direct address)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Maheśāna/Hāṭakeśvara)

Key Themes

• Sacred geography mapping
• Tīrtha-yātrā instruction
• Localized Śiva manifestations (kṣetra-devatā)
• Merit through worship at named kṣetras

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is ‘Saptagodāvara’ geographically?

It denotes a sacred region associated with the Godāvarī conceived in a sevenfold manner—commonly interpreted in Purāṇic geography as a tract with seven streams/branches, seven tīrthas, or a cluster of seven Godāvarī-related holy spots. The verse treats it as a recognized toponym (‘deśa’).

Who/what is Hāṭakeśvara?

Hāṭakeśvara is a localized Śiva title—‘Īśvara of hāṭaka (gold)’. Such names typically mark a specific liṅga/shrine famed for a golden association (mythic origin, donation tradition, or iconographic feature), functioning as a kṣetra-devatā within the Saptagodāvara area.

Why does the instruction pair a region (Saptagodāvara) with a specific deity-form (Hāṭakeśvara)?

Vāmana Purāṇa’s tīrtha sections often map devotion onto terrain: the pilgrimage is not abstract but anchored to named places and their presiding forms. The merit and narrative progression depend on reaching the correct ‘deśa’ and worshipping the correct ‘īśvara’ of that locale.