Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Tirtha Circuit, Shloka 66

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

Devanagari script

ततस्त्रिकूटं गिरिमत्रिपुत्रं जगाम द्रष्टुं स हि चक्रपाणिनम् तमीड्य भक्त्या तु गजेन्द्रसोक्षणं जजाप जप्यं परमं पवित्रम्

Transliteration

tatastrikūṭaṃ girimatriputraṃ jagāma draṣṭuṃ sa hi cakrapāṇinam tamīḍya bhaktyā tu gajendrasokṣaṇaṃ jajāpa japyaṃ paramaṃ pavitram

Translation

Then he went to the mountain Trikūṭa, (said to be) the son of Atri, in order to behold the wielder of the discus. Having praised him with devotion—the remover of Gajendra’s distress—he recited a supremely pure mantra worthy of recitation.

Speakers

• Narratorial voice within the Adhyaya’s pilgrimage account

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Cakrapāṇi)

Key Themes

• Shaiva–Vaishnava continuity within pilgrimage
• Darśana of Viṣṇu (cakrapāṇi-darśana)
• Gajendra-mokṣa remembrance as devotional key
• Mantra-japa as tīrtha practice
• Purāṇic sacral geography (mountain as sacred node)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the text shift from worship of Mahādeva to seeking Cakrapāṇi at Trikūṭa?

This is characteristic of Purāṇic tīrtha itineraries that map a unified sacred landscape: the pilgrim moves through Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava nodes without contradiction, presenting devotion as complementary and the geography as integrative.

What does ‘gajendra-śokṣaṇa’ imply for interpreting the site?

It invokes Viṣṇu’s archetypal role as immediate savior (as in the Gajendra-mokṣa narrative). The epithet frames Trikūṭa not merely as a scenic mountain but as a place resonant with deliverance, protection, and grace—key motivations for pilgrimage.

How should we understand ‘atriputra’ applied to a mountain?

Purāṇas often genealogize natural features to sacralize them. Calling Trikūṭa ‘Atri’s son’ embeds the mountain in ṛṣi-lineage and mythic time, elevating it from geography to a living participant in sacred history.