Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 33
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
स चोवाच महाराज महातीर्थं महाफलम् स्नातुमेवागतो ऽस्म्यद्य द्रष्टुञ्चैवाकुलीश्वरम्
sa covāca mahārāja mahātīrthaṃ mahāphalam snātumevāgato 'smyadya draṣṭuñcaivākulīśvaram
அவர் கூறினார்— ‘மகாராஜா, இது மாபெரும் தீர்த்தம்; மாபெரும் பலன் தருவது. இன்று நான் இங்கே நீராடவும், ஆகுலீஸ்வரரை தரிசிக்கவும் வந்தேன்.’
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FAQs
Purāṇic dharma is enacted through pilgrimage: bodily act (snāna) joined to devotional seeing (darśana). Merit is framed not as mere geography but as disciplined intention—coming ‘today’ with a defined sacred purpose.
This aligns with Vamśānucarita/Carita as narrative progression, while also introducing a Tīrtha-Māhātmya sublayer (praise of a tirtha and its fruit), which Purāṇas commonly embed within historical/royal episodes.
Ākulīśvara (a Śaiva epithet) appearing here exemplifies the Vāmana Purāṇa’s tendency toward sectarian complementarity: the narrative world that will culminate in Viṣṇu’s avatāra ethics also validates Śiva-centered pilgrimage and liṅga-darśana as ‘mahāphala’.