Shloka 31

Sacred Abodes of Vishnu & Shiva — Catalogue of Vishnu and Shiva’s Sacred Abodes (Tirtha-Mahatmya within the Pulastya–Narada Frame)

Devanagari script

गोमत्यां छादितगदं शङ्खोद्धारे च शङ्खिनम् सुनेत्रं सैन्धवारण्ये शूरं शूरपुरे स्थितम्

Transliteration

gomatyāṃ chāditagadaṃ śaṅkhoddhāre ca śaṅkhinam sunetraṃ saindhavāraṇye śūraṃ śūrapure sthitam

Translation

“On the (river) Gomatī (he is) Chāditagada; and at Śaṅkhoddhāra (he is) Śaṅkhin (the conch-bearer). In the Saindhava forest (he is) Sunetra; and Śūra, established in Śūrapura.”

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher continuing the Brahmin-addressed itinerary of Vishnu’s shrine-locations

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Hari/Narayana)

Key Themes

• Hydro-sacrality (river-based worship)
• Toponymic myth-hints (Śaṅkhoddhāra as ‘conch-retrieval’ site)
• Localization of iconography (conch/mace epithets)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What might ‘Śaṅkhoddhāra’ indicate as a tīrtha-name?

The compound literally means ‘the raising/retrieval of the conch’, suggesting an etiological legend: a conch (śaṅkha)—Vishnu’s emblem—was recovered, manifested, or ritually ‘raised’ there. Even when the narrative is not quoted, the place-name preserves the mythic memory.

How should ‘Chāditagada’ be understood—does it describe an icon?

Yes, it most naturally reads as a local iconographic epithet: a Vishnu image distinguished by a ‘covered/veiled mace’ (gada). Such descriptors often mark a specific murti-type, ritual covering practice, or a shrine-specific tradition remembered through the name.

Why does the verse alternate between river, tīrtha, forest, and city?

Because the Purāṇic map is not purely political; it is sacral-ecological. Rivers (Gomatī), forests (Saindhavāraṇya), and cities (Śūrapura) are all treated as valid loci of divine installation and pilgrimage merit.