Vamana Purana — Harihara Non-Duality, Shloka 47

Harihara Non-Duality and the Revelation of Sadasiva to the Ganas

Devanagari script

तत एकमुखं भूयो ददृशुः शङ्करं गणाः रौद्रैश्च वैष्णवैश्चैव वृतं चिह्नैः सहस्रशः

Transliteration

tata ekamukhaṃ bhūyo dadṛśuḥ śaṅkaraṃ gaṇāḥ raudraiśca vaiṣṇavaiścaiva vṛtaṃ cihnaiḥ sahasraśaḥ

Translation

随后，伽那们又见商羯罗呈“独面”（Ekamukha，一面/一相）之相，周围环列无量徽记：既有鲁陀罗（湿婆）之标识，亦有毗湿奴之标识，千千万万。

Speakers

• Narrator voice within the Andhaka-vadha narrative (describing what the Gaṇas perceive)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Śaṅkara/Rudra)
• Viṣṇu (Hari, implied through Vaiṣṇava insignia)

Key Themes

• Shaiva-Vaishnava Unity
• Theophany (divine manifestation)
• Iconography and divine insignia
• Gaṇa devotion and witnessing of forms

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘Ekamukha’ signify here—literally one face, or a theological unity?

While ‘ekamukha’ can be read literally as ‘one-faced,’ in this context it functions theologically: the Gaṇas see Śaṅkara in a unified aspect that can bear both Rudraic and Vaiṣṇava emblems, anticipating the explicit Hari-Hara synthesis described in the next verse.

Why emphasize ‘cihnaiḥ sahasraśaḥ’ (insignia by the thousand)?

The phrase signals a supernormal, cosmic iconography: the deity is not limited to a single sectarian set of marks. The abundance of emblems conveys omnipotence and the capacity to encompass multiple divine functions (protection, sovereignty, ascetic power, etc.).

Does this verse itself contain any geographical (tīrtha) data typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

No. This unit is mythic-theological and iconographic; it does not name a river, tīrtha, or kṣetra in the verse as transmitted here.