Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Tirtha Circuit, Shloka 57

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

Devanagari script

प्लक्षावतरणं गत्वा श्रीनिवासमपूजयत् ततश्च कुण्डिनं गत्वा संपूज्य प्रामतृप्तिदम्

Transliteration

plakṣāvataraṇaṃ gatvā śrīnivāsamapūjayat tataśca kuṇḍinaṃ gatvā saṃpūjya prāmatṛptidam

Translation

Going to Plakṣāvataraṇa, he worshipped Śrīnivāsa. Then, having gone to Kuṇḍina, he worshipped (the deity there), the giver of complete satisfaction to living beings.

Speakers

• Narrator describing the pilgrim’s itinerary (speaker not explicit in the excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Shrinivasa)

Key Themes

• Tirtha crossings (avataraṇa) as sacred nodes
• Viṣṇu worship in pilgrimage circuits
• Boons: contentment/fulfillment (tṛpti) as tirtha-fruit
• Integration of landscape markers (tree/ford) into sacred mapping

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘avataraṇa’ indicate in a tirtha name like Plakṣāvataraṇa?

Avataraṇa commonly denotes a descent-point to water—a ford, ghat, or river-entry used for snāna and crossing. Such nodes become tirthas because they structure ritual access to the river and are often marked by a notable tree (here, a plakṣa).

Why is Śrīnivāsa worshipped at a ford-tirtha?

Ford-tirthas frequently host Viṣṇu shrines because Viṣṇu is strongly associated with protection, passage, and auspicious transitions. ‘Śrīnivāsa’ emphasizes prosperity and well-being gained through properly performed travel, bathing, and worship.

Is Kuṇḍina the same Kuṇḍina known from the Rukmiṇī–Kṛṣṇa tradition?

The name aligns with the well-known Vidarbha capital in epic/Purāṇic memory. In a geography-forward Purāṇa like the Vāmana Purāṇa, such identifications are typical: famous cities are integrated into pilgrimage networks, each with a local shrine whose ‘fruit’ is summarized by an epithet like ‘giver of satisfaction.’