Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 37
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
च्यवन उवाच पृथिव्यां नैमिषं तीर्थमन्तरिक्षे च पुष्करम् चक्रतीर्थं महाबाहो रसातलतले विदुः
cyavana uvāca pṛthivyāṃ naimiṣaṃ tīrthamantarikṣe ca puṣkaram cakratīrthaṃ mahābāho rasātalatale viduḥ
ച്യവനൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ഭൂമിയിൽ നൈമിഷം എന്ന തീർത്ഥം, അന്തരിക്ഷത്തിൽ പുഷ്കരം; ഹേ മഹാബാഹോ, ചക്രതീർത്ഥം രസാതലതലത്തിൽ ഉള്ളതായി അറിയപ്പെടുന്നു।
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FAQs
The verse frames tīrthas as cosmic “nodes” spanning multiple planes of existence, suggesting that dharma and sanctity are not confined to one geography; the ethical thrust is reverence for sacred order (ṛta/dharma) and disciplined pilgrimage as a means of purification.
Primarily within Sthāna/Manvantara-style cosmographical description (often grouped under Purāṇic cosmology and tīrtha-kathā), rather than sarga/pratisarga; it also supports vamśānucarita indirectly by situating narratives in a sacral landscape.
Naimiṣa and Puṣkara represent widely recognized centers of śruti-smṛti tradition, while “Cakratīrtha in Rasātala” symbolically extends Viṣṇu’s protective sovereignty (cakra) even into nether realms—implying universal guardianship across vertical cosmology.