Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 8

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

Devanagari script

ततो वीटां सुखे क्षिप्य निरुच्छ्वासो ऽभवद् यतिः विस्तृते हिमवत्पुष्ठे रम्ये समशिलातले

Transliteration

tato vīṭāṃ sukhe kṣipya nirucchvāso 'bhavad yatiḥ vistṛte himavatpuṣṭhe ramye samaśilātale

Translation

అప్పుడు ఆ యతి సుఖంగా తన ‘వీటా’ (ఆసనం)ను విడిచిపెట్టి నిశ్వాసరహితుడయ్యాడు; హిమవత్‌-ఆధారిత విస్తారమైన, రమ్యమైన, సమశిలాతలంపై స్థిరంగా నిలిచెను।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla (काल/Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक

• vīṭām: a betel quid / lump (vīṭā)
• vīṭām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīṭā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• sukhe: in a comfortable place
• sukhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• kṣipya: having cast/placed
• kṣipya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṣip (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund) = ‘क्षिप्य’ (having thrown/placed)

• nir-ucchvāsaḥ: without breathing
• nir-ucchvāsaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + ucchvāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्/निर्-तत्पुरुषः—उच्छ्वासः नास्ति यस्य

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• yatiḥ: the ascetic
• yatiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• vistṛte: on the broad/extended
• vistṛte: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vistṛta (कृदन्त, √stṛ/स्तृ with vi-)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘पृष्ठे’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• himavat-puṣṭhe: on the back/slope of Himavat
• himavat-puṣṭhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: himavat (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—हिमवतः पृष्ठम्

• ramye: pleasant
• ramye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ramya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘पृष्ठे/तले’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• sama-śilā-tale: on level rocky ground
• sama-śilā-tale: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक) + śilā (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—समं शिलातलं (समशिलायुक्तं तलम्)

Speakers

• Narrator voice within the Purāṇic dialogue context (chapter-level frame not provided in the excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

Key Themes

• Prāṇāyāma/breath-suspension as tapas
• Withdrawal from comforts
• Mountain geography as ascetic setting
• Intensification of austerity

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Does ‘nirucchvāsa’ indicate death or yogic control?

In Purāṇic ascetic descriptions it typically signals yogic breath-restraint (kumbhaka-like suspension), not death—an intensification of tapas meant to compel divine attention.

What does ‘himavatpuṣṭhe’ contribute to the geography?

It situates the scene in a Himalayan-fed or Himalayan-supported region—evoking the Himālaya as the archetypal tapas-landscape (source of rivers, forests, and secluded stone plateaus).

Why mention an even stone surface (samaśilātala)?

It underscores austerity and steadiness: a hard, level rock becomes the ‘seat’ for immobility and meditation, contrasting with the earlier abandonment of comfort (vīṭāṃ sukhe kṣipya).