Vamana Purana — Prahlada at Kurukshetra, Shloka 8

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

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नात्वा च दृष्ट्वा च संतर्प्य पितृदेवताः पुण्डरीकं च संपूज्य उवास दिवसत्रयम्

Transliteration

tatra snātvā ca dṛṣṭvā ca saṃtarpya pitṛdevatāḥ puṇḍarīkaṃ ca saṃpūjya uvāsa divasatrayam

Translation

{"scene_description": "At the Sarasvatī ford of Koṭitīrtha, a pilgrim beholds Rudrakoṭi—Śiva with bull-banner—radiant and surrounded by tīrtha sanctity.", "primary_figures": ["Śiva (Rudrakoṭi, vṛṣabhadhvaja)", "Pilgrim(s)", "Nandin/bull emblem (banner)"], "setting": "Sarasvatī riverbank with a prominent ford, stone steps, a Śiva-liṅga or anthropomorphic Śiva manifestation, banners fluttering.", "color_palette": ["ash-white", "river-turquoise", "deep indigo", "vermillion", "silver-grey"], "tanjore_prompt": "Tanjore style, Śiva as vṛṣabhadhvaja with gold-leaf aura, Koṭitīrtha ghat on Sarasvatī, devotees offering bilva leaves, ornate arch and lamps, rich jewel tones and gilded detailing.", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature, soft pastel river landscape, Śiva appearing near a liṅga shrine with a bull-banner, pilgrims in white garments, delicate trees and distant hills, luminous calm.", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural, bold stylized Śiva with crescent moon and trident, vṛṣabha-dhvaja banner prominent, Sarasvatī ford with ritual lamps, earthy pigments and temple-wall symmetry.", "pattachitra_prompt": "Pattachitra, narrative depiction of Koṭitīrtha labeled, Śiva with bull-banner and attendants, patterned river waves, decorative borders, flat iconic forms in natural dyes."}

Speakers

• Narrator continuing the account of Prahlāda’s actions at Puṇḍarīka.

Primary Deities

• Pitṛs (ancestral deities)
• Puṇḍarīka (tīrtha/deity locus)

Key Themes

• Pitṛ-tarpaṇa at tīrthas
• Integration of śrāddha-logic into pilgrimage
• Merit through extended residence (three-day stay)
• Ritual completeness: snāna + darśana + tarpaṇa + pūjā

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is tarpaṇa to the Pitṛs performed at this water-tīrtha?

Tarpaṇa is classically water-mediated: libations (udaka) are offered to sustain and honor the Pitṛs. A major water-site (‘great waters’ in the preceding verse) is therefore especially apt for pitṛ-kārya, amplifying the rite’s efficacy in Purāṇic valuation.

What is the significance of staying ‘three days’ (divasatrayam)?

A three-day residence marks deliberate observance rather than a passing visit. In tīrtha literature, extended stay often implies completion of vows (vrata), repeated bathing/worship cycles, and accruing compounded merit tied to the site’s sanctity.

Does ‘dṛṣṭvā’ here mean seeing a physical idol, a liṅga, or the tīrtha itself?

It can encompass all three. In pilgrimage idiom, ‘darśana’ includes beholding the installed deity (mūrti/liṅga), the sanctified natural feature (water/lotus-lake), and the ritualized space as a manifestation of sacred presence.