Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Tirtha Circuit, Shloka 57

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

Devanagari script

प्लक्षावतरणं गत्वा श्रीनिवासमपूजयत् ततश्च कुण्डिनं गत्वा संपूज्य प्रामतृप्तिदम्

Transliteration

plakṣāvataraṇaṃ gatvā śrīnivāsamapūjayat tataśca kuṇḍinaṃ gatvā saṃpūjya prāmatṛptidam

Translation

เขาไปยังปลักษาวตरणะแล้วบูชาพระศรีนิวาส; จากนั้นไปยังกุณฑินะ และบูชาเทพผู้ประทานความอิ่มเอมบริบูรณ์แก่สรรพชีวิต

Speakers

• Narrator describing the pilgrim’s itinerary (speaker not explicit in the excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Shrinivasa)

Key Themes

• Tirtha crossings (avataraṇa) as sacred nodes
• Viṣṇu worship in pilgrimage circuits
• Boons: contentment/fulfillment (tṛpti) as tirtha-fruit
• Integration of landscape markers (tree/ford) into sacred mapping

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘avataraṇa’ indicate in a tirtha name like Plakṣāvataraṇa?

Avataraṇa commonly denotes a descent-point to water—a ford, ghat, or river-entry used for snāna and crossing. Such nodes become tirthas because they structure ritual access to the river and are often marked by a notable tree (here, a plakṣa).

Why is Śrīnivāsa worshipped at a ford-tirtha?

Ford-tirthas frequently host Viṣṇu shrines because Viṣṇu is strongly associated with protection, passage, and auspicious transitions. ‘Śrīnivāsa’ emphasizes prosperity and well-being gained through properly performed travel, bathing, and worship.

Is Kuṇḍina the same Kuṇḍina known from the Rukmiṇī–Kṛṣṇa tradition?

The name aligns with the well-known Vidarbha capital in epic/Purāṇic memory. In a geography-forward Purāṇa like the Vāmana Purāṇa, such identifications are typical: famous cities are integrated into pilgrimage networks, each with a local shrine whose ‘fruit’ is summarized by an epithet like ‘giver of satisfaction.’