Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 39

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

Devanagari script

इत्येवमुक्तो मुरुणा ब्रह्मन् हरिहयस्तदा स्वर्गराज्यं परित्यज्य भूचरः समजायत

Transliteration

ityevamukto muruṇā brahman harihayastadā svargarājyaṃ parityajya bhūcaraḥ samajāyata

Translation

婆罗门啊，因被牟鲁如此言辞相逼，哈利哈耶（因陀罗）遂舍弃天界王权，成为行走于大地之人（流落人间的漂泊者）。

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• एवम्: in this manner
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (manner adverb)

• उक्तः: having been told/addressed
• उक्तः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘हरिहयः’ इति विशेष्य

• मुरुणा: by Mura
• मुरुणा: Kartṛ (agent in passive)/Instrument (कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahman (sage)
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; संबोधन (address to narrator/Ṛṣi)

• हरिहयः: Hari-haya (Indra)
• हरिहयः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक) + हय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (हरिरिव हयः / हरिहयः = ‘Hari-like horse/greenish horse’; इन्द्रः)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Deśa-kāla (देश-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय

• स्वर्गराज्यम्: the sovereignty of heaven
• स्वर्गराज्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वर्गस्य राज्यम्)

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), धातु: त्यज् उपसर्ग: परि

• भूचरः: a wanderer on earth/earth-dweller
• भूचरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक) + चर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (भू-चरः = भूमौ चरति)

• समजायत: became
• समजायत: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-जन् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic voice) recounting events to the listening sage/audience (implicit)

Primary Deities

• Indra (Śakra/Harihaya)

Key Themes

• Loss of Svarga
• Deva-Asura conflict
• Fall of sovereignty
• Exile/earthly wandering

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "karuna", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Who is ‘Harihaya’ in this verse?

‘Harihaya’ is an epithet applied here to Indra, indicating the king of the gods who is being compelled to relinquish Svarga due to Muru’s pressure/hostility in the narrative.

What does ‘bhūcaraḥ samajāyata’ imply—literal incarnation or political displacement?

It primarily signals political and cosmic displacement: Indra, deprived of heavenly rule, is forced into an earthly condition (wandering or residing on earth), a common Purāṇic motif when devas lose their station.

How does this fit the Vāmana Purāṇa’s broader narrative arc?

Episodes of Indra’s loss and recovery of Svarga often frame the need for divine intervention (frequently Viṣṇu’s aid in other contexts). Here it functions as a narrative hinge: the deva order is destabilized, enabling subsequent conflicts and restorations.