Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 4

Shiva’s Kedara-Tirtha and the Rise of Mura: From Shaiva Pilgrimage to Vaishnava Theology

Devanagari script

स महाव्रतमुत्पाद्य समाश्वास्याम्बिकां विभुः शैलादिं स्थाप्य गोप्तारं विचचार महीतलम्

Transliteration

sa mahāvratamutpādya samāśvāsyāmbikāṃ vibhuḥ śailādiṃ sthāpya goptāraṃ vicacāra mahītalam

Translation

स विभुः महाव्रतमुत्पाद्य अम्बिकां समाश्वास्य, शैलादिं गोप्तारं स्थापयित्वा महीतलं विचचार।

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; pronoun

• mahā-vratam: a great vow
• mahā-vratam: Karma (कर्म) (object of utpādya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

• utpādya: having undertaken/produced
• utpādya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण) (prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ut-√pad (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Kṛdanta absolutive/gerund (क्त्वान्त): 'having produced/undertaken'

• samāśvāsya: having consoled
• samāśvāsya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण) (prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√śvas (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Kṛdanta absolutive/gerund (क्त्वान्त): 'having consoled/reassured'

• ambikām: Ambikā
• ambikām: Karma (कर्म) (object of samāśvāsya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ambikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

• vibhuḥ: the mighty one (Lord)
• vibhuḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (apposition to saḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; epithet

• śailādim: Śaila and others
• śailādim: Karma (कर्म) (object of sthāpya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaila (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; 'Śaila etc.' (a person/group beginning with Śaila)

• sthāpya: having appointed
• sthāpya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण) (prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु) (causative √sthāpaya) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Kṛdanta absolutive/gerund (क्त्वान्त) from causative: 'having appointed/installed'

• goptāram: protector/guardian
• goptāram: Karma (कर्म) (object-complement with sthāpya: appointed as protector)
• Type: Noun
• Root: goptṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

• vicacāra: wandered/roamed
• vicacāra: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√car (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (perfect), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; Parasmaipada

• mahī-talam: the earth’s surface
• mahī-talam: Karma (कर्म) (object/extent of roaming)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; 'surface of the earth'

Speakers

• Narrator voice (contextual; specific speaker not stated in the verse)

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Vibhu)
• Parvati (Ambikā)

Key Themes

• Mahāvrata (great vow)
• Śiva–Ambikā relationship (consolation and separation)
• Appointment/installation of a guardian (goptṛ)
• Itinerant sacred narrative (earth-traversal)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is Ambikā here, and why is she consoled?

Ambikā is Pārvatī. The verse depicts a common Purāṇic motif: the Lord adopts a rigorous vow and departs for tapas or world-traversal; the goddess is reassured to stabilize the cosmic household order while the ascetic program unfolds.

What does ‘śailādiṃ sthāpya goptāram’ imply?

It indicates the appointment/installation of a protective figure or station named Śailādi. In Purāṇic geography, such acts often become etiologies for local guardians, kṣetra-pālas, or the sanctification of a place—though the specific site-name is not supplied in this excerpt.

Is ‘vicacāra mahītalam’ a cue for forthcoming tīrtha-geography?

Yes. ‘Wandering the earth’ frequently introduces sequences where the deity visits, consecrates, or explains sacred places. The verse functions as a hinge from vow-taking to a potentially geographic itinerary.