Shloka 4
The Greatness of Puṣkara: Tripuṣkara Pilgrimage, Sacred Geography, and the Doctrine of Self-Restraint
पदन्यासः कृतः पूर्वं विष्णुना यज्ञपर्वते । नागैस्तत्र पंचतीर्थं कृतं तैस्तु महाविषैः
padanyāsaḥ kṛtaḥ pūrvaṃ viṣṇunā yajñaparvate | nāgaistatra paṃcatīrthaṃ kṛtaṃ taistu mahāviṣaiḥ
Autrefois, sur la montagne du Yajña, Viṣṇu posa Ses empreintes. Là, les Nāga, au venin puissant, instituèrent le saint Pañcatīrtha, les « cinq gués sacrés ».
Unspecified (narratorial voice within the chapter context)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: mountain
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पदन्यासः (समास); नागैस्तत्र→नागैः तत्र; तैस्तु→तैः तु
FAQs
It links a specific landscape feature (Yajñaparvata) with a named pilgrimage complex (Pañcatīrtha), showing how Purāṇic sacred geography sanctifies places through divine presence (Viṣṇu’s footsteps) and mythic custodians (Nāgas).
By grounding sanctity in Viṣṇu’s presence—His ‘footstep’—the verse frames pilgrimage and remembrance as Viṣṇu-centered devotion, where places become spiritually potent because they are connected to Him.
Even beings described as dangerous (mahā-viṣa Nāgas) can become agents of dharma by establishing tīrthas for the welfare of others, implying that power should be directed toward sacred, beneficent ends.