Shloka 71

Prahlada's Tirtha Circuit — Prahlada’s Pilgrimage Circuit: Tirtha-Mahatmya from Naimisha to Rudrakoti and Shalagrama

Devanagari script

तस्याग्रतो जजापासौ स्तवौ पापप्रणाशनौ यौ पुरा भगवान् प्राह क्रोडरूपी जनार्दनः

Transliteration

tasyāgrato jajāpāsau stavau pāpapraṇāśanau yau purā bhagavān prāha kroḍarūpī janārdanaḥ

Translation

তার সম্মুখে সে সেই দুই স্তব জপ করল যা পাপ নাশ করে—যা পূর্বকালে বরাহরূপী ভগবান জনার্দন বলেছিলেন।

Speakers

• Narrator voice within the Purāṇic dialogue; the action is Bali’s recitation

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Stuti and Japa
• Pāpa-nāśa (sin-destruction)
• Scriptural memory (purā-prāha)
• Continuity of avatāra-teaching

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What are the ‘two hymns’ (stavau) referred to here?

The verse alludes to a known Purāṇic motif: specific stotras taught by Viṣṇu (here, Varāha) that function as pāpa-kṣaya mantras. The present excerpt does not quote them; it frames their authority by attributing them to the Lord himself in an earlier episode.

Why invoke Varāha (kroḍarūpī) in a passage that is moving toward Śālagrāma?

Varāha is strongly associated with earth, sacred geography, and the recovery/establishment of dharma on the terrestrial plane. Referencing Varāha legitimizes tīrtha practice as grounded in avatāra revelation and ties pilgrimage sites to cosmic acts of restoration.

What does ‘japa’ contribute compared to external ritual?

In tīrtha-māhātmya contexts, japa/stuti is presented as an inner act that activates the merit of place. The verse suggests that recitation before the deity (tasyāgrataḥ) is a direct means of purification, complementing bathing, offerings, and circumambulation.