Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Pilgrimage, Shloka 9

Prahlada’s Pilgrimage and the Origin of the Sudarshana–Trishula Exchange (Jalodbhava Episode)

Devanagari script

चित्रा चैव ललाटे तु भरणी तु तथा शिरः शिरोरुहस्था चैवार्द्रा नक्षत्राङ्गमिदं हरेः

Transliteration

citrā caiva lalāṭe tu bharaṇī tu tathā śiraḥ śiroruhasthā caivārdrā nakṣatrāṅgamidaṃ hareḥ

Translation

చిత్రా నక్షత్రం లలాటంపై స్థితమై ఉంది; భరణీ శిరస్సుపై, ఆర్ద్రా శిరోరుహాలలో (కేశాలలో) నివసిస్తుంది. ఈ విధంగా నక్షత్రాలచే హరి దేహంలోని ఈ భాగం ఏర్పడింది.

Speakers

• Pulastya (or the chapter’s narrator-sage) instructing Nārada (vocative appears in the sequence)

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (Hari)

Key Themes

• Ritual astronomy (nakṣatra)
• Iconic/cosmic body mapping
• Vrata-vidhi foundations
• Devotional worship of Viṣṇu

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is meant by ‘nakṣatrāṅga’ in this context?

It is a ritual-theological mapping in which specific nakṣatras are assigned to specific limbs of Hari’s body. The devotee times worship when the Moon is in a given nakṣatra, treating that moment as the ‘presence’ (sannidhi) of that limb-aspect of the deity.

Why are nakṣatras mapped onto the deity’s body?

The mapping sacralizes time: lunar stations become devotional ‘locations’ on the divine body. This allows vrata practice to integrate calendrical precision with embodied icon-worship, making astronomy a vehicle for bhakti and merit.

Does this verse imply a particular avatāra like Vāmana or Trivikrama?

No. The verse speaks of Hari in a cosmic/ritual register rather than narrating an avatāra episode; the focus is on worship timed by nakṣatra rather than on Vāmana’s mythic acts.