Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 57

Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

इत्येवमुक्तो देवेन शङ्करेम तपोधनः मूर्त्ति स्थाप्य कुरुक्षेत्रे ब्रह्मलोकमगाद् वशी

Transliteration

ityevamukto devena śaṅkarema tapodhanaḥ mūrtti sthāpya kurukṣetre brahmalokamagād vaśī

Translation

یوں دیوتا شنکر کے کہنے پر، تپ میں مالامال سنیاسی نے کوروکشیتر میں مورتی نصب کی اور ضبطِ نفس کے ساتھ برہملوک چلا گیا۔

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (quotative particle), vākyānta-prayoga (thus)

• evam: in this manner
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa-avyaya (adverb)

• uktaḥ: having been told/addressed
• uktaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject complement)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु) → ukta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/PPP), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; predicate participle with tapodhanaḥ

• devena: by the god
• devena: Karaṇa (करण/Agent-instrument; by whom)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instrumental/3rd), Ekavacana

• śaṅkareṇa: by Śaṅkara
• śaṅkareṇa: Karaṇa (करण/by Śaṅkara)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; (IAST shows śaṅkarema, understood as śaṅkareṇa)

• tapodhanaḥ: the ascetic (one rich in austerity)
• tapodhanaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapodhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; samāsa: tapas + dhana (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'whose wealth is austerity')

• mūrtim: an image/form
• mūrtim: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• sthāpya: having installed
• sthāpya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था धातु) + ṇic → sthāpya (कृदन्त)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्), prior action

• kurukṣetre: in Kurukṣetra
• kurukṣetre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kurukṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Saptamī vibhakti, Ekavacana

• brahmalokam: to Brahmaloka
• brahmalokam: Karma (कर्म/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmaloka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• agāt: went
• agāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: Luṅ lakāra (Aorist), Prathama puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• vaśī: self-controlled
• vaśī: Karta (कर्ता/subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaśin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of tapodhanaḥ (self-controlled)

Speakers

• Narrator voice continuing the account: Śaṅkara’s instruction fulfilled by Maṅkaṇaka

Primary Deities

• Shiva
• Brahma

Key Themes

• Obedience to divine instruction
• Tapas and ritual action combined
• Tirtha Mahima
• Merit leading to higher loka

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is the ‘tapodhanaḥ’ in this verse?

The epithet indicates Maṅkaṇaka (named in the next verse), portraying him as an ascetic whose true ‘wealth’ is tapas—an idiom common in Purāṇic and epic Sanskrit.

What does ‘vaśī’ add to the narrative?

Vaśī underscores inner discipline (sense-control), marking the attainment of Brahmaloka as aligned with both external dharma (mūrti-sthāpana) and internal mastery (tapas/saṃyama).

Is this passage primarily Śaiva or Vaiṣṇava in orientation?

Although the Vāmana Purāṇa is Vaiṣṇava-identified by title, many sections are ecumenical. Here Śaṅkara is the active bestower of tīrtha-phala, reflecting Purāṇic Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava coexistence within shared pilgrimage geographies.