Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 45

Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

ततो ऽगमन्महादेवः सप्तसारस्वतं शुचिः ददर्श नृत्यमानं च ऋषिं मङ्कणसंज्ञितम्

Transliteration

tato 'gamanmahādevaḥ saptasārasvataṃ śuciḥ dadarśa nṛtyamānaṃ ca ṛṣiṃ maṅkaṇasaṃjñitam

Translation

随后，清净的摩诃提婆前往七萨拉斯瓦塔（Saptasārasvata），见到一位名为曼卡那（Maṅkaṇa）的仙人正在起舞。

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ‘then’

• agamat: went
• agamat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• mahā-devaḥ: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• mahā-devaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: महान् देवः

• sapta-sārasvatam: the (place) called Saptasārasvata
• sapta-sārasvatam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + sārasvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः: सप्तानां सारस्वतानां (तीर्थ/प्रदेश)

• śuciḥ: pure
• śuciḥ: Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘mahādevaḥ’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• nṛtyamānam: dancing
• nṛtyamānam: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nṛt (धातु)
• Form: शतृ/शानच्-वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘ṛṣim’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): ‘and’

• ṛṣim: sage
• ṛṣim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• maṅkaṇa-saṃjñitam: named Maṅkaṇa
• maṅkaṇa-saṃjñitam: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: maṅkaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃjñita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: मङ्कण इति संज्ञा यस्य/यः (named Maṅkaṇa)

Speakers

• Narratorial voice within the Pulastya–Nārada dialogue context (chapter narrative frame)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Mahādeva)

Key Themes

• Tīrtha visitation by a deity
• Encounter of deity and ṛṣi
• Sacralization of Sarasvatī-region geography

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is Saptasārasvata in Purāṇic geography?

It denotes a Sarasvatī-associated sacred tract conceptualized as a cluster of seven ‘Sārasvata’ loci (often understood as tīrthas/segments connected with the Sarasvatī tradition). The text uses it as a named pilgrimage destination where divine and ascetic events occur.

Why is a sage depicted as dancing in a tīrtha narrative?

Dancing can mark ecstatic devotion, yogic rapture, or a dramatic sign of inner transformation. In māhātmya literature it also functions as a narrative hinge—an unusual act that prompts divine attention and reveals the tīrtha’s potency.

Does “śuciḥ” describe the place or Mahādeva?

Grammatically it qualifies Mahādeva here (‘the pure/radiant Mahādeva’), while also resonating with tīrtha discourse where purity is both personal (deity/ascetic) and spatial (the sanctity of the kṣetra).