Shloka 29

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

Devanagari script

त्रिकूटशिखरे ब्रह्मन् चक्रपाणिनमीश्वरम् लौहदण्डे हृषीकेशं कोसलायां मनोहरम्

Transliteration

trikūṭaśikhare brahman cakrapāṇinamīśvaram lauhadaṇḍe hṛṣīkeśaṃ kosalāyāṃ manoharam

Translation

ஓ பிராமணரே! திரிகூடச் சிகரத்தில் சக்கரதாரியான ஈச்வரன்; லௌஹதண்டத்தில் ‘ஹ்ருஷீகேசன்’; கோசலாவில் ஆண்டவனின் ‘மனோஹர’ ரூபம் உள்ளது।

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher addressing a Brahmin interlocutor (contextual vocative ‘brahman’ within a tirtha-catalog discourse)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Hari/Narayana)

Key Themes

• Sacred geography as theology (deity mapped onto landscape)
• Murti-sthana enumeration (regional icon-forms of Vishnu)
• Pilgrimage orientation (where to worship which form)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the function of listing ‘Cakrapāṇi on Trikūṭa’ and ‘Hṛṣīkeśa at Lauhadaṇḍa’ in this chapter?

This is a cartographic-theological register: the text anchors specific epithets/forms of Vishnu to named places, guiding pilgrimage (tīrtha-yātrā) and local worship by identifying which manifestation is traditionally revered at each site.

Does ‘Trikūṭa’ here necessarily mean the Lanka-associated Trikūṭa of the Rāmāyaṇa?

Not necessarily. ‘Trikūṭa’ is a recurring toponym in Purāṇic geography for a ‘three-peaked’ mountain; without additional qualifiers in the immediate passage, it is safest to treat it as a named sacred peak within the chapter’s regional itinerary rather than force a single epic identification.

Why is Kosalā mentioned without a specific epithet like Cakrapāṇi/Hṛṣīkeśa?

The verse supplies ‘manohara’ as the descriptor, implying a locally celebrated ‘charming’ form of Hari in Kosala. Such brief descriptors often reflect a well-known local icon or shrine tradition assumed familiar to the intended audience.