Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 24

Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

ततः सुराः क्रमेणैव क्षीरादिभिरनन्तरम् स्नापयाञ्चक्रिरे लिङ्गं शाश्वतं ध्रुवमव्ययम्

Transliteration

tataḥ surāḥ krameṇaiva kṣīrādibhiranantaram snāpayāñcakrire liṅgaṃ śāśvataṃ dhruvamavyayam

Translation

ततः सुराः क्रमेणैव क्षीरादिभिरनन्तरं शाश्वतं ध्रुवमव्ययं लिङ्गं स्नापयामासुः।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb

• surāḥ: the gods
• surāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• krameṇa: in sequence/gradually
• krameṇa: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया एकवचन used adverbially (instrumental of manner): पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘in order/gradually’

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, emphasis particle

• kṣīra-ādibhiḥ: with milk and the like
• kṣīra-ādibhiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣīra (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: kṣīram ādiḥ yeṣām ‘milk etc.’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• anantaram: immediately
• anantaram: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग (accusative used adverbially): नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘immediately/without interval’

• snāpayān: causing (it) to be bathed
• snāpayān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snāpaya (causative of snā, धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त: शतृ/शानच्-समकक्ष (present active participle in -an, Vedic/epic usage) from causative snāpaya-; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘causing to bathe’ (converbial with main verb)

• cakrire: did/performed
• cakrire: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• liṅgam: the liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• śāśvatam: eternal
• śāśvatam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śāśvata (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of liṅgam

• dhruvam: firm/steady
• dhruvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of liṅgam

• avyayam: imperishable
• avyayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of liṅgam

Speakers

• Narratorial voice describing the devas’ ritual actions.

Primary Deities

• Śiva (via Liṅga)
• Devas (collective)

Key Themes

• Abhiṣeka (ritual bathing)
• Ritual sequence (krama)
• Eternity of the Liṅga (śāśvata/dhruva/avyaya)
• Devotional service by devas

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘kṣīrādibhiḥ’ typically include in Purāṇic liṅga-abhiṣeka?

Milk is explicitly named; ‘and the like’ commonly implies curd, ghee, honey, sugar-water, and/or pure water—substances emblematic of nourishment, purity, and auspiciousness in Śaiva ritual idiom.

Why the triple emphasis ‘śāśvataṃ dhruvam avyayam’?

It is a doctrinal intensification: the liṅga is not a perishable idol but a sign of the unchanging Lord. The piling of near-synonyms marks metaphysical permanence and stabilizes the tīrtha’s merit as grounded in an eternal presence.

What is conveyed by ‘krameṇaiva’ (in due order)?

It signals ritual correctness and hierarchy—offerings are made in prescribed sequence. In tīrtha narratives, such ‘krama’ often mirrors cosmic order (ṛta/dharma), implying that right ritual aligns worshippers with divine stability (dhruvatva).