Vamana Purana — Prahlada at Kurukshetra, Shloka 8

Prahlada’s Kurukshetra Pilgrimage and the Origin of the Chakra–Trishula Exchange

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नात्वा च दृष्ट्वा च संतर्प्य पितृदेवताः पुण्डरीकं च संपूज्य उवास दिवसत्रयम्

Transliteration

tatra snātvā ca dṛṣṭvā ca saṃtarpya pitṛdevatāḥ puṇḍarīkaṃ ca saṃpūjya uvāsa divasatrayam

Translation

{"recitation_mood": "awe-filled devotional", "suggested_raga": "Bhairav", "pace": "medium", "voice_tone": "resonant, slightly elevated for darśana climax", "sound_elements": ["temple bells", "damaru pulse (subtle)", "river ambience", "devotee murmurs of 'hara'"]}

Speakers

• Narrator continuing the account of Prahlāda’s actions at Puṇḍarīka.

Primary Deities

• Pitṛs (ancestral deities)
• Puṇḍarīka (tīrtha/deity locus)

Key Themes

• Pitṛ-tarpaṇa at tīrthas
• Integration of śrāddha-logic into pilgrimage
• Merit through extended residence (three-day stay)
• Ritual completeness: snāna + darśana + tarpaṇa + pūjā

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is tarpaṇa to the Pitṛs performed at this water-tīrtha?

Tarpaṇa is classically water-mediated: libations (udaka) are offered to sustain and honor the Pitṛs. A major water-site (‘great waters’ in the preceding verse) is therefore especially apt for pitṛ-kārya, amplifying the rite’s efficacy in Purāṇic valuation.

What is the significance of staying ‘three days’ (divasatrayam)?

A three-day residence marks deliberate observance rather than a passing visit. In tīrtha literature, extended stay often implies completion of vows (vrata), repeated bathing/worship cycles, and accruing compounded merit tied to the site’s sanctity.

Does ‘dṛṣṭvā’ here mean seeing a physical idol, a liṅga, or the tīrtha itself?

It can encompass all three. In pilgrimage idiom, ‘darśana’ includes beholding the installed deity (mūrti/liṅga), the sanctified natural feature (water/lotus-lake), and the ritualized space as a manifestation of sacred presence.