Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 5

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

Devanagari script

महामुद्रार्पितग्रीवो महाहिकुतकुण्डलः धारयाणः कटीदेशे महाशङ्खस्य मेखलाम्

Transliteration

mahāmudrārpitagrīvo mahāhikutakuṇḍalaḥ dhārayāṇaḥ kaṭīdeśe mahāśaṅkhasya mekhalām

Translation

其颈项以大印（mudrā）为记而庄严，佩戴巨大的希库塔耳环，腰间系以由大海螺（śaṅkha）制成的束带；如是装束，他继续前行。

Word by Word

• mahā-mudrā-arpita-grīvaḥ: whose neck is adorned with a great seal/amulet
• mahā-mudrā-arpita-grīvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + mudrā (प्रातिपदिक) + arpita (कृदन्त, √arp/अर्प्) + grīva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समासः—यस्य ग्रीवा महामुद्रया अर्पिता

• mahā-ahi-kuta-kuṇḍalaḥ: having earrings of great serpent-like form
• mahā-ahi-kuta-kuṇḍalaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ahi (प्रातिपदिक) + kuta (प्रातिपदिक) + kuṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि—यस्य कुण्डले महाहिकुत-रूपे (सर्प-आकृत्यादि)

• dhārayāṇaḥ: wearing / bearing
• dhārayāṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhṛ (धातु) + śānac प्रत्यय (धारयाण)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तः (शानच्/शतृ-समकक्ष), परस्मैपदी; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘धारयन्’ = carrying/wearing

• kaṭī-deśe: at/on the waist-region
• kaṭī-deśe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṭī (प्रातिपदिक) + deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (deśa), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—कटी-देशः

• mahā-śaṅkhasya: of a great conch
• mahā-śaṅkhasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + śaṅkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—महान् शङ्खः

• mekhalām: a girdle/belt
• mekhalām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mekhalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speakers

• Narrator voice (contextual; specific speaker not stated in the verse)

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Maheśvara)

Key Themes

• Iconography of Śiva
• Ascetic yet emblem-adorned deity
• Purāṇic descriptive style (rūpa-varṇana)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is this verse giving a standard iconography of Śiva?

It gives a localized Purāṇic rūpa-varṇana (form-description). Some elements are familiar (ornaments, distinctive emblems), while others—like a conch-girdle—are unusual and may signal a specific vrata-context or regional tradition preserved in this chapter.

How should we understand ‘mudrā’ here—gesture or seal/mark?

Given ‘arpita-grīva’ (placed on the neck), ‘mudrā’ most naturally reads as a seal/mark/emblematic ornament rather than a hand-gesture. It indicates a visible sign of vow, identity, or consecration.

Does the conch (śaṅkha) have Vaiṣṇava resonance in a Śaiva passage?

Yes, śaṅkha is strongly Vaiṣṇava in later iconography, but Purāṇic symbolism is fluid. A conch used as a mekhalā can underscore Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava symbolic overlap or a specific ritual accoutrement tied to the ‘mahāvrata’ context.