Vamana Purana — Prahlada vs Nara-Narayana, Shloka 37
Prahlada’s Defeat by Nara-Narayana and Victory through Bhakti
च्यवन उवाच पृथिव्यां नैमिषं तीर्थमन्तरिक्षे च पुष्करम् चक्रतीर्थं महाबाहो रसातलतले विदुः
cyavana uvāca pṛthivyāṃ naimiṣaṃ tīrthamantarikṣe ca puṣkaram cakratīrthaṃ mahābāho rasātalatale viduḥ
ச்யவனர் கூறினார்— பூமியில் நைமிஷத் தீர்த்தம்; அந்தரிக்ஷத்தில் புஷ்கரம்; ஓ மகாபாஹோ, சக்கரதீர்த்தம் ரசாதலத் தளத்தில் இருப்பதாக அறியப்படுகிறது।
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FAQs
The verse frames tīrthas as cosmic “nodes” spanning multiple planes of existence, suggesting that dharma and sanctity are not confined to one geography; the ethical thrust is reverence for sacred order (ṛta/dharma) and disciplined pilgrimage as a means of purification.
Primarily within Sthāna/Manvantara-style cosmographical description (often grouped under Purāṇic cosmology and tīrtha-kathā), rather than sarga/pratisarga; it also supports vamśānucarita indirectly by situating narratives in a sacral landscape.
Naimiṣa and Puṣkara represent widely recognized centers of śruti-smṛti tradition, while “Cakratīrtha in Rasātala” symbolically extends Viṣṇu’s protective sovereignty (cakra) even into nether realms—implying universal guardianship across vertical cosmology.