Vamana Purana — Harihara Revelation, Shloka 56

Harihara Revelation and the Kurukshetra Tirtha Cycle: Sthanu in Vishnu and the Sanctification of Saptasarasvata

Devanagari script

मोकारो भुजयोर्युग्मं मिथुनस्तत्र संस्थितः मासो आषाढनामा च तृतीयं पत्रकं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

mokāro bhujayoryugmaṃ mithunastatra saṃsthitaḥ māso āṣāḍhanāmā ca tṛtīyaṃ patrakaṃ smṛtam

Translation

音节“摩（mo，即ma加o音）”安置于双臂之上；其处为双子宫（Mithuna）所在。名为阿沙荼月（Āṣāḍha）者，忆为第三叶（第三瓣）。

Word by Word

• मोकारः: the letter 'ma'
• मोकारः: कर्ता (Kartā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• भुजयोः: of the two arms
• भुजयोः: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), द्विवचन

• युग्मम्: a pair
• युग्मम्: विधेय (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय/अपादानार्थे न (here as predicate noun)

• मिथुनः: Gemini (the twins)
• मिथुनः: कर्ता (Kartā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मिथुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• संस्थितः: is situated
• संस्थितः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (agreeing with मिथुनः)

• मासः: month
• मासः: कर्ता (Kartā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• आषाढनाम: named Āṣāḍha
• आषाढनाम: कर्ता-विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आषाढनामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (of मासः)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तृतीयम्: third
• तृतीयम्: कर्ता-विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (of पत्रकम्)

• पत्रकम्: leaf/section
• पत्रकम्: कर्ता (Kartā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• स्मृतम्: is remembered/called
• स्मृतम्: क्रिया (Kriyā)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे विधेय नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (agreeing with पत्रकम्)

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher voice continuing the Adhyāya’s exposition (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Sound-body mapping (nyāsa-like)
• Zodiacal ordering (Mithuna)
• Month-based ritual efficacy (Āṣāḍha)
• Sacralization of space through correspondences

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are the ‘arms’ chosen for this syllable and correspondence?

Arms symbolize action (karma) and ritual performance (offering, bathing, giving). Assigning a syllable to the arms integrates sound (mantra) with embodied ritual agency, reinforcing that the tīrtha’s power is accessed through performed acts aligned with cosmic order.

What does Mithuna (Gemini) contribute symbolically in this mapping?

Mithuna literally suggests ‘pairing’ or ‘twin-ness’, which resonates with the verse’s ‘pair of arms’ (yugma). The mapping is not only sequential but also associative, linking semantic imagery (pair/twins) with bodily duality.

Is ‘mokāra’ a standard term, and how should it be read?

Yes—like ‘nakāra’ for ‘na’, ‘mokāra’ denotes the phoneme ‘mo’. Such kāra-terms are common in Sanskrit grammatical and ritual registers to refer precisely to syllabic units used in mantra and symbolic mappings.