Vamana Purana — Shukra's Curse on King Danda, Shloka 13
Shukra’s Curse on King Danda and Andhaka’s Challenge to Shiva
ततस्ते ऊचतुर्ब्रहन् दुर्लभं दर्शनं तव किमर्थं पुष्करारण्यं भवान् यास्यत्यथादरात्
tataste ūcaturbrahan durlabhaṃ darśanaṃ tava kimarthaṃ puṣkarāraṇyaṃ bhavān yāsyatyathādarāt
Then they said: “O Brahman, rare indeed is the sight of you. For what purpose do you, with such earnestness, intend to go to the forest of Puṣkara?”
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FAQs
In tirtha-mahātmya contexts, the text elevates both the sacred place and the saintly guide: meeting a realized or authoritative sage is portrayed as uncommon and spiritually consequential, often serving as the narrative trigger for revealing a site’s greatness.
The compound highlights the sacred landscape as a lived geography—forest precincts, pilgrimage routes, and ritual zones around Puṣkara—rather than only a single point. Such wording is typical of Purāṇic sacred topography.
The interlocutors are prompting a rationale for the journey, which typically leads to a calendrical/ritual explanation (e.g., an auspicious month or observance) and then to the site’s merits and prescribed acts there.