Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 17

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

Devanagari script

केदाराय वरं दत्त्वा जगम त्वरितो हरः स्नातुं भानुसुतां देवीं कालिन्दीं पापनाशिनीम्

Transliteration

kedārāya varaṃ dattvā jagama tvarito haraḥ snātuṃ bhānusutāṃ devīṃ kālindīṃ pāpanāśinīm

Translation

Sau khi ban ân phúc tối thắng cho Kedāra, Hara (Śiva) vội vã lên đường để tắm trong nữ thần Kāлиндī—ái nữ của Thái Dương—đấng diệt trừ tội lỗi.

Word by Word

• केदाराय: to Kedāra
• केदाराय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केदार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन

• वरम्: a boon
• वरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• त्वरितः: hastened
• त्वरितः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वरित (कृदन्त; √त्वर् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (PPP) ‘hastened’; ‘हरः’ इति विशेषणम्

• हरः: Hara (Śiva)
• हरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• स्नातुम्: to bathe
• स्नातुम्: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive)

• भानुसुताम्: the daughter of the Sun
• भानुसुताम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भानु + सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘भानोः सुता’)

• देवीम्: the goddess
• देवीम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘भानुसुताम्’ इत्यस्य विशेष्य-समनाधिकरण

• कालिन्दीम्: Kālindī (Yamunā)
• कालिन्दीम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालिन्दी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; यमुनानदी

• पापनाशिनीम्: sin-destroying
• पापनाशिनीम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप + नाशिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (‘पापं नाशयति’ इति) विशेषणम्

Speakers

• Unspecified in the excerpt (narrative voice describing Śiva’s movement between tīrthas).

Primary Deities

• Shiva
• Kalindi (Yamuna River Goddess)
• Surya

Key Themes

• Tirtha itinerary / sacred geography
• River as goddess (nadī-devatā)
• Sin-destruction through bathing
• Śiva’s sanctioning of places (vara-dāna)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is the Yamunā called ‘Kālindī’ and ‘daughter of the Sun’?

‘Kālindī’ is a well-known epithet of the Yamunā, linked to the Kalinda mountain tradition and to her mythic genealogy as Sūrya’s daughter. Purāṇas frequently present major rivers as goddesses with divine parentage to ground their sanctity.

What does it mean that Śiva ‘gave a boon to Kedāra’?

Purāṇic tīrthas are often personified; ‘varaṃ dattvā’ indicates Śiva’s consecration of the site—granting it a specific salvific capacity (e.g., purification, akṣaya merit), thereby authorizing its mahimā.

Is this verse implying a pilgrimage network?

Yes. The narrative depicts movement from Kedāra to the Kālindī, modeling a connected sacred landscape where distinct sites (a Śaiva tīrtha and a major river) are linked through divine travel and ritual bathing.