Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

कपालं दक्षिणे हस्ते सव्ये गृह्य कमण्डलुम् एकाहवासी वृक्षे हि शैलसानुनदीष्वटन्

Transliteration

kapālaṃ dakṣiṇe haste savye gṛhya kamaṇḍalum ekāhavāsī vṛkṣe hi śailasānunadīṣvaṭan

Translation

右手执骷髅钵，左手持净水瓶（kamaṇḍalu）；他每处仅住一日，徘徊于林木之间，行于山坡之侧，并沿诸河之滨而游。

Word by Word

• kapālam: a skull-bowl
• kapālam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• dakṣiṇe: in the right
• dakṣiṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘हस्ते’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• haste: in the hand
• haste: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• savye: in the left
• savye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: savya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘हस्ते’ (अनुक्ते) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• gṛhya: having taken/holding
• gṛhya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भावः (gerund/absolutive) = ‘गृहित्वा’; क्रियाविशेषणम्

• kamaṇḍalum: a water-pot
• kamaṇḍalum: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kamaṇḍalu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• eka-aha-vāsī: staying for one day (at a place)
• eka-aha-vāsī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + aha(n) (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—एक-अहः वासी (एकदिनवासी)

• vṛkṣe: on/in a tree
• vṛkṣe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• hi: indeed / for
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/हेतु-सूचक

• śaila-sānu-nadīṣu: on mountain-slopes and in rivers
• śaila-sānu-nadīṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaila (प्रातिपदिक) + sānu (प्रातिपदिक) + nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (nadī), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समाहारः—शैलस्य सानु (पर्वत-शिखर/ढाल) तथा नदी—तत्र (समुच्चयार्थे)

• aṭan: wandering
• aṭan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √aṭ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्तः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘अटन्’ = wandering

Speakers

• Narrator voice within the Purāṇic dialogue context (chapter-level frame not provided in the excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

Key Themes

• Tapas (austerity)
• Ascetic mobility (ekāha-vāsa)
• Renunciation and minimalism
• Sacred landscape as a field for practice

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are kapāla and kamaṇḍalu highlighted together?

They function as emblematic ascetic implements: the kapāla signals radical renunciation and mortification, while the kamaṇḍalu indicates regulated purity and restraint. Together they mark a yati’s disciplined life rather than household ritual.

What does ‘ekāhavāsī’ imply in tīrtha-oriented Purāṇic literature?

It denotes a vow of non-attachment to place—staying only one day prevents settling, property, or social entanglement. In a geography-centered Purāṇa, it also frames pilgrimage as continuous tapas across multiple sacred terrains.

Is any specific river or mountain identified here?

No. The verse uses landscape-types (rivers, mountain-slopes, trees) rather than named sites; the specificity is supplied elsewhere in the chapter or surrounding tīrtha catalogues.