Vamana Purana — Prahlada at Kurukshetra, Shloka 15

Prahlada’s Kurukshetra Pilgrimage and the Origin of the Chakra–Trishula Exchange

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थवरे स्नात्वा प्राजापत्ये महामतिःऽ ददर्श शंभु ब्रह्माणं देवेशं च प्रजापतिम्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthavare snātvā prājāpatye mahāmatiḥ' dadarśa śaṃbhu brahmāṇaṃ deveśaṃ ca prajāpatim

Translation

Setelah mandi di sana, di tirtha utama bernama Prājāpatya, ia yang berhati luhur menyaksikan Śambhu (Śiva), Brahmā, dan juga Prajāpati, Tuhan para dewa.

Speakers

• Narrative voice (Purāṇic narrator) describing the pilgrim/hero’s actions and vision

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Śambhu)
• Brahma
• Prajapati (Deveśa)

Key Themes

• Tirtha-yatra (pilgrimage)
• Snāna (ritual bathing)
• Darśana of deities
• Triadic/Progenitor theology (Śiva–Brahmā–Prajāpati)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is ‘Prājāpatya’ here—an epithet or a specific place?

In this context it functions as a toponymic epithet: a tirtha associated with Prajāpati (the progenitor principle). Purāṇic geography frequently names tirthas by the deity or cosmic function linked to them (e.g., prajā-sṛṣṭi/procreation).

Why are Śiva, Brahmā, and Prajāpati seen together?

The verse frames the tirtha as a convergence-point of cosmic offices: auspicious dissolution/auspiciousness (Śiva), creation (Brahmā), and progenitorship (Prajāpati). Such clustering is typical in māhātmya sections to magnify the site’s sanctity through multi-deity presence.

Does ‘dadarśa’ imply a physical meeting or a visionary darśana?

Purāṇic usage allows both, but in tirtha-māhātmya passages it commonly signals a sanctified ‘darśana’—a revelatory encounter granted by merit from bathing and worship.