Vamana Purana — Nakshatra-Purusha Vrata, Shloka 49

The Nakshatra-Purusha Vrata: Worship of Vishnu’s Body as the Constellations

Devanagari script

सौवीरतिलपिण्याकसक्तुशाकादिभोनैः क्षपयामि कदन्नाद्यैरात्मानं कालयापनैः

Transliteration

sauvīratilapiṇyākasaktuśākādibhonaiḥ kṣapayāmi kadannādyairātmānaṃ kālayāpanaiḥ

Translation

{"scene_description": "On the snowy Himavat, Viṣṇu holds a triśūla while three-eyed Śiva bears the cakra; below, the Vitastā springs forth at the spot of Hara’s footfall, signifying sin-destruction.", "primary_figures": ["Vishnu", "Shiva (Trinetra/Hara)", "personified river Vitastā"], "setting": "Snow-clad Himalayan mountain with a fresh river-source and a sanctified ford.", "color_palette": ["snow-white", "lapis blue", "emerald green", "gold", "ash-grey"], "tanjore_prompt": "Tanjore style, gold-leaf haloed Vishnu and Shiva in Harihara harmony, Vishnu holding trident, Shiva holding discus, snowy Himavat backdrop, river-source Vitastā at their feet, ornate temple jewelry, rich reds and greens, devotional icon composition.", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature, soft pastels, Himavat snow peaks, Vishnu with triśūla and Shiva with cakra in gentle dialogue, delicate river Vitastā emerging from a footfall mark, fine linework, serene yet wondrous mood.", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural, bold outlines and flat natural pigments, Hari and Hara standing on Himavat, exaggerated divine eyes (Trinetra), stylized river-goddess Vitastā flowing from the mountain, temple mural symmetry, warm ochres and greens with white snow accents.", "pattachitra_prompt": "Pattachitra scroll panel, folk narrative depiction of weapon exchange, patterned snowy mountain, flowing Vitastā with decorative waves, strong black outlines, natural dyes, caption-like cartouches emphasizing agha-hantrī tirtha-mahima."}

Speakers

• Unspecified in prompt; first-person voice of a sufferer/penitent continuing the confession in Adhyaya 53.

Key Themes

• Austerity through poverty-like diet
• Karmic retribution and bodily wasting
• Subsistence vs. dharmic flourishing

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Are these foods markers of asceticism or destitution?

They can signal both. In Purāṇic rhetoric, listing coarse foods (oil-cake, saktu, greens) often depicts either forced poverty (pāpa-phala) or deliberate austerity; the phrase ‘kāla-yāpanaiḥ’ leans toward mere survival rather than chosen tapas.

What is the nuance of ‘kṣapayāmi ātmānam’?

It suggests the body is being ‘worn down’—either by illness, hardship, or penitential living—reinforcing the speaker’s degraded state and the urgency for purification or refuge.

Does this verse contribute to the geography emphasis of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

Indirectly. While no place-name appears here, such confessional passages commonly frame why a particular tīrtha (named elsewhere in the chapter) is sought for relief, expiation, or merit.