Vamana Purana — Vamana's Birth, Shloka 42

Vamana’s Birth during Bali’s Horse-Sacrifice and the Mapping of Vishnu’s Sacred Presences

Devanagari script

त्वं धाता च विधाता च संहर्ता त्वं महेश्वरः महालय महायोगिन् योगशायिन् नमो ऽस्तु ते / 62.41 इत्थं स्तुतो जगन्नाथं सर्वात्मा सर्वगो हरिः प्रोवाच भगवान् मह्यं कुरूपनयनं विभो

Transliteration

tvaṃ dhātā ca vidhātā ca saṃhartā tvaṃ maheśvaraḥ mahālaya mahāyogin yogaśāyin namo 'stu te / 62.41 itthaṃ stuto jagannāthaṃ sarvātmā sarvago hariḥ provāca bhagavān mahyaṃ kurūpanayanaṃ vibho

Translation

ਤੁਸੀਂ ਧਾਤਾ ਅਤੇ ਵਿਧਾਤਾ ਹੋ; ਸੰਹਾਰਕ ਵੀ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਹੀ, ਹੇ ਮਹੇਸ਼ਵਰ। ਹੇ ਮਹਾਲਯ, ਹੇ ਮਹਾਯੋਗੀ, ਯੋਗਸ਼ਾਈ—ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਨਮਸਕਾਰ। ਇਸ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਸਤੁਤ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਜਗੰਨਾਥ, ਸਰਬਾਤਮਾ, ਸਰਬਵਿਆਪੀ ਹਰੀ ਨੇ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਕਿਹਾ: ਹੇ ਵਿਭੋ, ਮੈਂ ਤੇਰਾ ਉਪਨਯਨ (ਯਜ੍ਞੋਪਵੀਤ-ਸੰਸਕਾਰ) ਕਰਾਂਗਾ।

Speakers

• Narrator (first-person ‘to me’) praises the Supreme; then Hari speaks to the narrator/devotee (identity not explicit in the given excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Hari/Narayana)
• Shiva (invoked via the epithet Maheśvara in the stuti)

Key Themes

• Shaiva–Vaishnava unity through shared epithets
• Supreme Lord as creator–sustainer–dissolver
• Ritual initiation (Upanayana) and Vedic eligibility
• Stuti leading to divine response (phala of praise)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is the term “Maheśvara” used in a praise that culminates in Hari (Viṣṇu) speaking?

Purāṇic stutis often employ ‘shared’ supreme epithets across sectarian boundaries. Here, “Maheśvara” functions as a title of the Supreme Lord rather than a strict sectarian identifier, reinforcing a theological unity where Viṣṇu is praised with names also associated with Śiva.

What does “Yogaśāyin” imply in this context?

“Yogaśāyin” points to Nārāyaṇa’s cosmic posture of yogic sleep (yoga-nidrā), the transcendent stillness from which creation proceeds and into which it is withdrawn—matching the triad dhātā/vidhātā/saṁhartā.

Why is upanayana mentioned immediately after the stuti?

The narrative pattern is: praise → divine favor → authorization into dharma/śāstra. Upanayana marks formal entry into Vedic discipline; the verse frames it as a divinely sanctioned rite, not merely a social ceremony.