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

Sau khi thọ trì một đại thệ nguyện, Đấng Toàn Năng an ủi Ambikā; rồi thiết lập Śailādi làm vị hộ vệ, Ngài du hành khắp mặt đất.

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.