Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 45

Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

ततो ऽगमन्महादेवः सप्तसारस्वतं शुचिः ददर्श नृत्यमानं च ऋषिं मङ्कणसंज्ञितम्

Transliteration

tato 'gamanmahādevaḥ saptasārasvataṃ śuciḥ dadarśa nṛtyamānaṃ ca ṛṣiṃ maṅkaṇasaṃjñitam

Translation

Pagkaraan nito, ang dalisay na Mahādeva ay nagtungo sa Saptasārasvata, at nakita niya ang isang ṛṣi na nagngangalang Maṅkaṇa na sumasayaw.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ‘then’

• agamat: went
• agamat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• mahā-devaḥ: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• mahā-devaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: महान् देवः

• sapta-sārasvatam: the (place) called Saptasārasvata
• sapta-sārasvatam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + sārasvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः: सप्तानां सारस्वतानां (तीर्थ/प्रदेश)

• śuciḥ: pure
• śuciḥ: Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘mahādevaḥ’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• nṛtyamānam: dancing
• nṛtyamānam: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nṛt (धातु)
• Form: शतृ/शानच्-वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘ṛṣim’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): ‘and’

• ṛṣim: sage
• ṛṣim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• maṅkaṇa-saṃjñitam: named Maṅkaṇa
• maṅkaṇa-saṃjñitam: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: maṅkaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃjñita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: मङ्कण इति संज्ञा यस्य/यः (named Maṅkaṇa)

Speakers

• Narratorial voice within the Pulastya–Nārada dialogue context (chapter narrative frame)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Mahādeva)

Key Themes

• Tīrtha visitation by a deity
• Encounter of deity and ṛṣi
• Sacralization of Sarasvatī-region geography

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is Saptasārasvata in Purāṇic geography?

It denotes a Sarasvatī-associated sacred tract conceptualized as a cluster of seven ‘Sārasvata’ loci (often understood as tīrthas/segments connected with the Sarasvatī tradition). The text uses it as a named pilgrimage destination where divine and ascetic events occur.

Why is a sage depicted as dancing in a tīrtha narrative?

Dancing can mark ecstatic devotion, yogic rapture, or a dramatic sign of inner transformation. In māhātmya literature it also functions as a narrative hinge—an unusual act that prompts divine attention and reveals the tīrtha’s potency.

Does “śuciḥ” describe the place or Mahādeva?

Grammatically it qualifies Mahādeva here (‘the pure/radiant Mahādeva’), while also resonating with tīrtha discourse where purity is both personal (deity/ascetic) and spatial (the sanctity of the kṣetra).