Shloka 21

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

Devanagari script

तत्रस्थेन सुरेशेन श्वेतकिर्नाम भूपतिः रक्षितस्त्वन्तकं दग्ध्वा सर्वबूतापहारिणम्

Transliteration

tatrasthena sureśena śvetakirnāma bhūpatiḥ rakṣitastvantakaṃ dagdhvā sarvabūtāpahāriṇam

Translation

ณ ที่นั้น พระผู้เป็นใหญ่แห่งเทพผู้สถิตอยู่ ได้ทรงคุ้มครองพระราชานามว่าเศวตกิ โดยทรงเผาอันตกะ ผู้คร่าชีวิตสรรพสัตว์ทั้งปวงเสียสิ้น।

Speakers

• Narrative voice of the Purāṇa (introducing a kṣetra-legend explaining protective power of the site/deity)

Primary Deities

• Śiva (Mahākāla/Sureśa)

Key Themes

• Kṣetra-rakṣā (protection granted by the sacred site/deity)
• Death-conquest motif (burning of Antaka)
• Mahākāla as guardian of devotees
• Local legend supporting tīrtha-mahima

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is 'sureśa' here—Indra or Śiva?

While 'sureśa' can denote Indra, the immediate context is Mahākāla/Śaṅkara in the preceding verses. Thus the title is best read as Śiva’s supremacy in the kṣetra: the 'Lord over the gods' who protects and destroys the death-figure Antaka.

What does Antaka represent in this legend?

Antaka literally means 'ender' and commonly functions as a personification of death or a death-like destructive being. The epithet 'sarvabhūtāpahārin' reinforces this: death 'takes away' all beings. Burning Antaka dramatizes Mahākāla’s mastery over death/time.

How does this verse serve the geography-driven purpose of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

It anchors theology in place: the kṣetra is not only a location for rites (snāna/pūjā) but a protective power-zone where the resident deity intervenes. Such legends function as 'proof-texts' for why pilgrims should visit and trust the efficacy of the Mahākāla–Śiprā region.