Vamana Purana — Sacred Abodes of Vishnu & Shiva, Shloka 6

Catalogue of Vishnu and Shiva’s Sacred Abodes (Tirtha-Mahatmya within the Pulastya–Narada Frame)

Devanagari script

प्राचीने कामपालं च पुण्डरीकं महाम्भसि विशाखयूपे ह्यजितं हंसं हंसपदे तथा

Transliteration

prācīne kāmapālaṃ ca puṇḍarīkaṃ mahāmbhasi viśākhayūpe hyajitaṃ haṃsaṃ haṃsapade tathā

Translation

প্রাচীন (পূর্ব) পবিত্র অঞ্চলে তিনি কামপাল; মহাম্ভসে (মহাজলে) তিনি পুণ্ডরীক; বিশাখযূপে তিনি অজিত; এবং হংসপদে তদ্রূপ তিনি হংস।

Speakers

• Likely the narrator (traditionally Pulastya) to Nārada
• continuing the enumerative pilgrimage register.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Ritual markers in geography (yūpa as sacral sign)
• Ocean/Waters as tirtha-space
• Viṣṇu epithets distributed across pilgrimage nodes
• Symbolic theology (lotus, swan) embedded in place-names

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does “Mahāmbhas” indicate—an actual ocean or a sacred water-body?

Purāṇic catalogues use “Mahāmbhas” both descriptively and as a proper sacred designation. It can denote an oceanic tirtha or a mythically charged ‘great waters’ zone where a specific epithet (Puṇḍarīka) is worshipped.

Why is a “yūpa” (sacrificial post) used to name a tirtha (Viśākhayūpa)?

A yūpa is a durable ritual landmark. Naming a place after a yūpa preserves memory of a paradigmatic sacrifice, turning ritual history into pilgrimage geography.

What is implied by worshipping “Haṃsa” at “Haṃsapada”?

The swan (haṃsa) symbolizes spiritual discernment and transcendence. The toponym ‘Haṃsapada’ sacralizes that symbolism by locating it in a specific pilgrimage node, where the deity is approached through that emblematic form.