Shloka 13

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

Devanagari script

अवनतिविषये विष्णुं निषधेष्वमरेश्वरम् पाञ्चालिकं च ब्रह्मर्षे पाञ्चालेषु व्यवस्थितम्

Transliteration

avanativiṣaye viṣṇuṃ niṣadheṣvamareśvaram pāñcālikaṃ ca brahmarṣe pāñcāleṣu vyavasthitam

Translation

{"scene_description": "A pilgrim stands before an image of Keśava near a bright, pale-water pool (Sitodaka); Rudra appears nearby, his fierce aspect softened, as the waters glow with purifying light.", "primary_figures": ["Keśava (Vishnu)", "Rudra (Shiva)", "pilgrim/devotee"], "setting": "Kurukshetra tirtha complex with a pale, clear pond, stone steps, and a small Vishnu shrine; Rudra at the periphery becoming serene.", "color_palette": ["pale silver-blue", "gold", "deep green", "ash-gray", "saffron"], "tanjore_prompt": "Tanjore, Keśava idol in ornate shrine with gold leaf, Sitodaka pond in foreground, Rudra shown pacified with softened expression, pilgrim bathing, rich jewel tones, emphasis on Hari-Rudra harmony", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature, serene pond with pale water, Keśava shrine, Rudra calming from fierce to gentle, soft pastels, narrative tirtha scene", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural, bold Keśava figure with conch and discus, Rudra with trident but tranquil, stylized pond and steps, natural pigments, temple ambience", "pattachitra_prompt": "Pattachitra, sequential narrative: approach Keśava → bath in Sitodaka → Rudra pacified, decorative borders with lotus and wave motifs, folk storytelling clarity"}

Word by Word

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Speakers

• Contextual narrator within the Adhyāya’s catalogue addressing a ‘brahmarṣi’ (the listener is explicitly addressed as brahmarṣi).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

Key Themes

• Regionalization of worship (deities as janapada-pālas)
• Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava co-presence in a single itinerary
• Pilgrimage cartography of North/Central India

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

How can the same catalogue place both Viṣṇu and Amareśvara (a Śiva-title) in adjacent lines?

Such lists are intentionally ecumenical: the Purāṇa maps a shared sacred landscape where Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva sites coexist, encouraging comprehensive tīrtha-yātrā rather than sectarian exclusivity.

What is ‘Niṣadha’ here—people, region, or mountain?

In Purāṇic usage, Niṣadha can denote a janapada/people and also a cosmographic mountain. The locative plural ‘niṣadheṣu’ favors a territorial/people sense (‘in the Niṣadha lands’), though the tradition often allows overlap between ethnographic and topographic referents.

Who is ‘Pāñcālika’?

It is best read as a regional shrine-epithet—‘the (deity) of the Pāñcālas’—indicating a locally established form worshipped in Pāñcāla country, parallel to how other verses tie specific divine names to specific ranges or districts.