Shloka 48

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

Devanagari script

तस्यां स्नात्वा समभ्यर्च्य वासुदेवं श्रियः पतिम् जगाम भूधरं द्रष्टुं वाराहं चक्रधारिणम्

Transliteration

tasyāṃ snātvā samabhyarcya vāsudevaṃ śriyaḥ patim jagāma bhūdharaṃ draṣṭuṃ vārāhaṃ cakradhāriṇam

Translation

Having bathed there (in the Narmadā) and duly worshipped Vāsudeva, the Lord of Śrī (Lakṣmī), he went to the mountain to behold Varāha, the discus-bearing one.

Speakers

• Narratorial voice describing the pilgrim’s acts and destinations.

Primary Deities

• Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu)
• Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• Varāha

Key Themes

• Narmadā snāna as purifier
• Vaiṣṇava devotion within tīrtha geography
• Darśana of avatāra (Varāha)
• Iconographic markers (cakra)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Varāha described as ‘cakradhārin’ when Varāha is often shown with different attributes?

Purāṇic descriptions frequently preserve Viṣṇu’s core insignia (especially the cakra) across avatāras to assert identity: the avatāra is not a separate deity but Viṣṇu himself. Thus, ‘cakradhārin’ functions as a theological identifier as much as an iconographic detail.

What is the theological force of calling Vāsudeva ‘Śriyaḥ pati’ here?

‘Śriyaḥ pati’ emphasizes sovereignty, auspiciousness, and cosmic order—Lakṣmī signifies royal fortune and dharmic prosperity. In a tīrtha itinerary, it frames the pilgrim’s worship as seeking both liberation-oriented merit and auspicious well-being under Viṣṇu’s lordship.

What should we understand by ‘bhūdhara’ in this verse?

Literally ‘mountain’ (earth-bearer), it likely denotes a specific elevated sacred site where a Varāha shrine/icon is located. The verse’s structure—bathe in Narmadā, worship Viṣṇu, then go to the mountain for Varāha-darśana—matches typical Purāṇic mapping of river-to-hill pilgrimage circuits.