Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Tirtha Circuit, Shloka 65

Naimisha to Shalagrama

Devanagari script

शशिप्रभं देववरं त्रिनेत्रं संपूजयित्वा सह वै मृडान्या जगाम तीर्थप्रवरं महाख्यं तस्मिन् महादेवमपूजयत्

Transliteration

śaśiprabhaṃ devavaraṃ trinetraṃ saṃpūjayitvā saha vai mṛḍānyā jagāma tīrthapravaraṃ mahākhyaṃ tasmin mahādevamapūjayat

Translation

चंद्रप्रभेसारखा तेजस्वी, त्रिनेत्र श्रेष्ठ देव याची मृडानीसह पूजा करून तो ‘महाख्य’ नावाच्या श्रेष्ठ तीर्थास गेला; तेथे त्याने महादेवाची आराधना केली।

Speakers

• Narratorial voice within the Adhyaya’s itinerary

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Mahādeva/Trinetra)
• Parvati (Mṛḍānī)

Key Themes

• Supremacy of tīrtha (tīrthapravaratva)
• Śiva-Śakti togetherness (saha mṛḍānyā)
• Merit through pūjā at named sacred sites
• Pilgrimage cartography within the Purāṇa

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the significance of naming a site ‘Mahākhya’ in a Purāṇic geography chapter?

A named tīrtha functions as a cartographic anchor: it marks a specific node in the sacred landscape, often associated with a distinctive ritual, vow, or mythic event. ‘Mahākhya’ (‘greatly renowned/named’) signals exceptional sanctity and likely a well-known local cult-site in the chapter’s broader map.

Why is Mṛḍānī mentioned alongside the worship of the three-eyed god?

Mentioning Mṛḍānī emphasizes Śiva’s inseparability from Śakti in tīrtha theology: pilgrimage merit is framed as devotion to the divine couple, and the site’s power is implicitly Śiva-Śakti integrated rather than exclusively Śaiva in isolation.

Is ‘śaśiprabha’ merely poetic, or does it hint at iconography?

It is poetic but also iconographically suggestive: Śiva is frequently associated with the moon (candra) on his matted hair. ‘Moon-radiant’ can evoke both his luminous auspiciousness and the candra-symbol in his depiction.