Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Tirtha Circuit, Shloka 10

Prahlada’s Pilgrimage Circuit: Tirtha-Mahatmya from Naimisha to Rudrakoti and Shalagrama

Devanagari script

तं दृष्ट्वा पुण्डरीकाक्षमक्षरं परमं शुचिः षड्रात्रमुष्य तत्रैव महेन्द्रं दक्षिणं ययौ

Transliteration

taṃ dṛṣṭvā puṇḍarīkākṣamakṣaraṃ paramaṃ śuciḥ ṣaḍrātramuṣya tatraiva mahendraṃ dakṣiṇaṃ yayau

Translation

ఆ పద్మనేత్రుడైన, అక్షయుడైన, పరమపవిత్ర ప్రభువును దర్శించి, అక్కడే ఆరు రాత్రులు నివసించి, తరువాత దక్షిణ మహేంద్రానికి వెళ్లెను.

Speakers

• Narrative voice (Purāṇic narrator) describing a pilgrim’s movements within the tīrtha-cycle (contextually within Pulastya’s instruction to Nārada in this section).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Tīrtha-yātrā itinerary
• Darśana (saving sight of the deity)
• Ritual residence/vrata by nights (ṣaḍrātra)
• Vaiṣṇava sanctity within a broader tīrtha network

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘Puṇḍarīkākṣa’ in this verse, and why is he called ‘akṣara’ (imperishable)?

Puṇḍarīkākṣa is Viṣṇu, identified by the standard epithet “lotus‑eyed.” ‘Akṣara’ underscores his transcendent, undecaying nature—Viṣṇu as the supreme, unchanging reality who sanctifies the tīrtha through darśana.

What is the significance of staying ‘six nights’ (ṣaḍrātra) at the site?

Counting nights is a common Purāṇic marker of a regulated observance at a holy place—suggesting a short vrata-like residence (fasting, bathing, worship, recitation) that completes the merit of the darśana before moving on to the next tīrtha.

Is ‘Mahendra’ here Indra or a place?

In tīrtha itineraries, ‘Mahendra’ typically functions as a toponym (a named sacred locality/region). The directional qualifier ‘dakṣiṇa’ (“southern”) further indicates a geographic node in the pilgrimage circuit rather than the deity Indra.