Shloka 16

Sacred Abodes of Vishnu & Shiva — Catalogue of Vishnu and Shiva’s Sacred Abodes (Tirtha-Mahatmya within the Pulastya–Narada Frame)

Devanagari script

पद्मायां पद्मकिरणं समुद्रे वडवासुखम् कुमारधारे बाह्लीशं कार्तिकेयं च बर्हिणम्

Transliteration

padmāyāṃ padmakiraṇaṃ samudre vaḍavāsukham kumāradhāre bāhlīśaṃ kārtikeyaṃ ca barhiṇam

Translation

sā: she; mad-vacanam: my words; ākarṇya: having heard; provāca: said/replied; tanu-madhyamā: she whose waist/middle is slender; vyāghra: tiger (vocative; an epithet for a heroic man, “best among men”); rati: love, sexual delight, passion; yoga: joining, union; rati-yoga: erotic union/union in love; upeṣyati (upa + √i/√śī): will come to/attain/occur (contextual sense: ‘be accomplished’); āvayoḥ: of us two.

Speakers

• Sūta to sages (continuing the catalog of place-deities)

Primary Deities

• Kartikeya (Skanda)
• Shiva

Key Themes

• Hydro-sacred geography (rivers, ocean, streams as tīrthas)
• Skanda/Kumāra cult geography
• Cataloging of localized divine epithets

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is “Vaḍavāsukha” in the ocean—mythically speaking?

It evokes the vaḍavāgni motif: a ‘mare-faced’ fiery energy said to reside in the sea’s depths. By naming it as a sacred presence, the text sacralizes the ocean itself as a tīrtha-domain with mythic power.

Does “Kumāradhārā” indicate a specific pilgrimage site?

Yes—within Purāṇic geography, names like Kumāradhārā function as identifiable tīrthas (often a stream, cascade, or river-section) associated with Kumāra/Skanda. The verse’s purpose is to anchor Skanda-related worship to a named water-site.

Who is “Padmakiraṇa” and “Bāhlīśa”—are they separate gods?

They are best treated as kṣetra-epithets (place-specific divine names) rather than entirely separate deities. Purāṇas frequently record such names to preserve local cult titles tied to particular rivers or shrines, even when later traditions identify them with broader pan-Indian deities.