Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 36
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
प्रह्लाद उवाच भगवन् कानि तीर्थानि पृथिव्यां कानि चाम्बरे रसातले च कानि स्युरेतद् वक्तुं ममार्हसि
prahlāda uvāca bhagavan kāni tīrthāni pṛthivyāṃ kāni cāmbare rasātale ca kāni syuretad vaktuṃ mamārhasi
प्रह्लाद म्हणाला— हे भगवन्! पृथ्वीवर कोणती तीर्थे आहेत, आकाशात कोणती, आणि रसातळात कोणती असतील? हे मला सांगावे।
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FAQs
Prahlāda’s question models the dhārmic posture of inquiry: sacredness is not merely local but pervades multiple planes of existence, and the seeker should learn from a qualified authority (guru/ṛṣi).
This functions as a gateway into tīrtha-mahātmya material (often embedded within carita). It is not itself sarga/pratisarga, but it cues cosmographic and didactic exposition typical of Purāṇas.
By asking for tīrthas in earth, sky, and Rasātala, the text suggests that “crossings” (tīrtha = ford) exist for every level of being—outer pilgrimage mirrors inner transition from bondage to liberation.