Vamana Purana — Harihara Revelation, Shloka 48

Harihara Revelation and the Kurukshetra Tirtha Cycle: Sthanu in Vishnu and the Sanctification of Saptasarasvata

Devanagari script

ततःस मातापितरौ सस्मार वचनाद् विभोः तावाजग्मतुरीशानं द्रष्टुं वै दम्पती मुने

Transliteration

tataḥsa mātāpitarau sasmāra vacanād vibhoḥ tāvājagmaturīśānaṃ draṣṭuṃ vai dampatī mune

Translation

ततः स विभोर्वचनाद् मातापितरौ सस्मार; तौ दम्पती मुने, ईशानं द्रष्टुं त्वरितमाजग्मतुः।

Speakers

• Narrator to a sage addressed as ‘mune’ (likely within a dialogue frame)

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Īśāna)

Key Themes

• Darśana (sacred audience)
• Obedience to divine instruction
• Family/lineage in mythic narrative

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘Īśāna’ here, and why is the term significant?

Īśāna is a standard Śaiva epithet meaning ‘Lord’ and also denotes a specific aspect of Śiva associated with sovereignty and auspiciousness. In Purāṇic narrative, ‘to see Īśāna’ signals a formal act of darśana that often precedes boons, vows, or purification.

Does ‘sasmāra’ imply mere recollection or a ritual summoning?

In epic-Purāṇic Sanskrit, smṛ (‘to remember’) can function as a narrative shorthand for calling someone to mind with efficacious intent—especially when the context is divine instruction (vacanād vibhoḥ). It can therefore imply a purposeful invocation rather than casual remembrance.

Is any sacred place implied even if not named?

The verse itself does not name a tīrtha. However, the act of going ‘to behold Īśāna’ commonly occurs at a Śiva-kṣetra in the surrounding chapter’s geography; identification requires the immediately adjacent verses that specify the locale.