Vamana Purana — Prahlada at Kurukshetra, Shloka 15

Prahlada’s Kurukshetra Pilgrimage and the Origin of the Chakra–Trishula Exchange

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थवरे स्नात्वा प्राजापत्ये महामतिःऽ ददर्श शंभु ब्रह्माणं देवेशं च प्रजापतिम्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthavare snātvā prājāpatye mahāmatiḥ' dadarśa śaṃbhu brahmāṇaṃ deveśaṃ ca prajāpatim

Translation

Having bathed there at the excellent sacred ford—(the tirtha) called Prājāpatya—the great-minded one beheld Śambhu (Śiva), Brahmā, and also the Lord of the gods, Prajāpati.

Speakers

• Narrative voice (Purāṇic narrator) describing the pilgrim/hero’s actions and vision

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Śambhu)
• Brahma
• Prajapati (Deveśa)

Key Themes

• Tirtha-yatra (pilgrimage)
• Snāna (ritual bathing)
• Darśana of deities
• Triadic/Progenitor theology (Śiva–Brahmā–Prajāpati)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is ‘Prājāpatya’ here—an epithet or a specific place?

In this context it functions as a toponymic epithet: a tirtha associated with Prajāpati (the progenitor principle). Purāṇic geography frequently names tirthas by the deity or cosmic function linked to them (e.g., prajā-sṛṣṭi/procreation).

Why are Śiva, Brahmā, and Prajāpati seen together?

The verse frames the tirtha as a convergence-point of cosmic offices: auspicious dissolution/auspiciousness (Śiva), creation (Brahmā), and progenitorship (Prajāpati). Such clustering is typical in māhātmya sections to magnify the site’s sanctity through multi-deity presence.

Does ‘dadarśa’ imply a physical meeting or a visionary darśana?

Purāṇic usage allows both, but in tirtha-māhātmya passages it commonly signals a sanctified ‘darśana’—a revelatory encounter granted by merit from bathing and worship.