Vamana Purana — Sacred Abodes of Vishnu & Shiva, Shloka 20

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

Devanagari script

त्रिणाचिकेतं ब्रह्मर्षे प्रभासे च कपर्दिनम् तथैवात्रापि विख्यातं तृतीयं शशिसेखरम्

Transliteration

triṇāciketaṃ brahmarṣe prabhāse ca kapardinam tathaivātrāpi vikhyātaṃ tṛtīyaṃ śaśisekharam

Translation

ஓ பிரம்மரிஷியே! இங்கே திரிணாசிகேதன் (தேவன்) உள்ளான்; பிரபாசத்தில் கபர்தின் உள்ளான். அதுபோல இங்கேயும் மூன்றாவது ‘சசிசேகரன்’ என்ற பெயரால் புகழ்பெற்றது.

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher addressing a brahmarṣi (vocative: brahmarṣe); specific interlocutors not stated in the given excerpt.

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Sacred geography as a map of deity-presence
• Śaiva tīrtha-identities through epithets
• Pilgrimage merit implied by renowned names

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Are Kapardin and Śaśiśekhara different deities here?

They are not separate gods but distinct Śaiva epithets marking localized manifestations: Kapardin emphasizes the ascetic, matted-haired icon; Śaśiśekhara emphasizes the moon on Śiva’s crest. The verse uses these names as tīrtha-identifiers.

What is the geographical significance of Prabhāsa in Purāṇic literature?

Prabhāsa is a major western Indian coastal tīrtha (Prabhāsa-kṣetra), widely praised across Purāṇas and Itihāsa traditions as a powerful pilgrimage zone where specific Śiva-forms are worshipped.

How should Triṇāciketa be understood—ritual term or place-name?

In this catalogue-style passage it functions as a place-name/tīrtha. Its etymology evokes Nāciketa and the ‘three fires’ motif, but the Purāṇic intent here is primarily cartographic: to list a recognized sacred station.