Shloka 31

Viśokā Dvādaśī Vow, Guḍa-Dhenū (Jaggery-Cow) Gift, and Śaila-Dāna (Mountain-Charity) Rites

Devanagari script

ललाटं वामनायेति हरये च पुनर्भ्रुवौ । अलकं माधवायेति किरीटं विश्वरूपिणे

Transliteration

lalāṭaṃ vāmanāyeti haraye ca punarbhruvau | alakaṃ mādhavāyeti kirīṭaṃ viśvarūpiṇe

Translation

«Dedique-se a testa a Vāmana; e novamente as sobrancelhas a Hari; as madeixas de cabelo a Mādhava; e o alto da cabeça ao Senhor de Forma Universal (Viśvarūpin).»

Word by Word

• ललाटम्: forehead
• ललाटम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ललाट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• वामनाय: to Vāmana
• वामनाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वामन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-इत्यादि वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• हरये: to Hari
• हरये: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb)

• भ्रुवौ: (the two) eyebrows
• भ्रुवौ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), द्विवचन

• अलकम्: a curl/lock of hair
• अलकम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अलक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• माधवाय: to Mādhava
• माधवाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माधव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-इत्यादि वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• किरीटम्: crown
• किरीटम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किरीट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• विश्वरूपिणे: to the one of universal form
• विश्वरूपिणे: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (विश्वस्य रूपम् यस्य/विश्व-रूपः)

Speaker

Unspecified (context-dependent within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa 21; verse presented as an instructional injunction)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: वामनाय+इति→वामनायेति; माधवाय+इति→माधवायेति; पुनः+भ्रुवौ→पुनर्भ्रुवौ (विसर्ग-सन्धि)

Characters & Entities

• Vāmana
• Hari
• Mādhava
• Viśvarūpa (Viśvarūpin)

FAQs

What practice does this verse describe?

It describes a devotional ‘dedication’ (nyāsa-like) practice in which specific parts of the head are offered to Viṣṇu under different divine names—Vāmana, Hari, Mādhava, and Viśvarūpin.

Why are multiple names of Vishnu used for different body parts?

The names function as distinct theological aspects of the same Supreme—invoked sequentially to sacralize the devotee’s body and mind, turning the person into a locus of remembrance (smaraṇa) and worship (bhakti).

What ethical or spiritual lesson is implied?

It teaches disciplined God-remembrance: offering one’s identity (symbolized by the head and its features) to the Divine, cultivating humility, inner purity, and continuous devotion.