Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Tirtha Circuit, Shloka 47

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

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा कपिलधारायां संतर्प्यार्च्य पितृन् सुरान् दृष्ट्वा स्कन्दं समभ्यर्च्य नर्मदायां जगाम ह

Transliteration

snātvā kapiladhārāyāṃ saṃtarpyārcya pitṛn surān dṛṣṭvā skandaṃ samabhyarcya narmadāyāṃ jagāma ha

Translation

कपिलधारेत स्नान करून त्याने पितर व देव यांना तर्पण देऊन अर्चन केले; स्कंदाचे दर्शन घेऊन विधिपूर्वक पूजन करून तो नर्मदेकडे गेला।

Speakers

• Narratorial voice describing the pilgrim’s ritual itinerary.

Primary Deities

• Pitṛs (ancestral deities)
• Devas (Surāḥ)
• Skanda (Kārttikeya)

Key Themes

• Snāna (purificatory bath)
• Tarpaṇa and Pitṛ-yajña (ancestral rites)
• Devata-darśana and pūjā
• Pilgrimage progression toward Narmadā

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are Pitṛ rites (tarpaṇa/arcana) placed immediately after bathing at Kapiladhārā?

Purāṇic tīrtha manuals commonly sequence snāna → tarpaṇa → devapūjā. Bathing establishes ritual purity; tarpaṇa then becomes efficacious, especially at waters linked with Varuṇa/ṛta and renowned tīrthas, making the offering to ancestors and gods ‘complete’ (saṃtarpya).

What does ‘dṛṣṭvā skandaṃ’ imply—an icon, a shrine, or a theophany?

In tīrtha-mahātmya diction, ‘seeing’ (darśana) typically indicates a shrine or established sacred presence (liṅga/mūrti/altar) rather than a narrative epiphany. The verse reads like a pilgrimage checklist: visit, see, worship, proceed.

How does the verse position Narmadā within the itinerary?

Narmadā is treated as the next major sacred hydrological node after Kapiladhārā. The movement ‘to Narmadā’ signals entry into a broader Narmadā-centered tīrtha network where subsequent Viṣṇu/Śiva sites are often enumerated.