Shloka 13

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

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नात्वा महोदक्यां वैकुण्ठं चार्च्यं भक्तितः सुरान् पितृन् समभ्यर्च्य पारियात्रं गिरिं गतः

Transliteration

tatra snātvā mahodakyāṃ vaikuṇṭhaṃ cārcyaṃ bhaktitaḥ surān pitṛn samabhyarcya pāriyātraṃ giriṃ gataḥ

Translation

Having bathed there in the Mahodakyā (tīrtha), and having worshipped Vaikuṇṭha (Viṣṇu) with devotion, and having duly offered worship to the gods and to the Pitṛs (ancestral spirits), he then proceeded to Mount Pāriyātra.

Speakers

• (Contextual narrator) likely Pulastya speaking to Nārada in the Saromāhātmya/tīrtha cycle

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vaikuntha)
• Devas (collective)
• Pitrs (ancestral deities)

Key Themes

• Tirtha-yatra (pilgrimage sequence)
• Snāna (ritual bathing)
• Deva-pūjā and Pitṛ-tarpaṇa
• Bhakti (devotion)
• Merit through sacred geography

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the ritual logic of bathing, then worshipping Viṣṇu, then honoring Devas and Pitṛs?

The verse encodes a standard tīrtha-vidhi: snāna purifies the pilgrim, pūjā establishes direct devotion to the presiding deity (here Vaikuṇṭha/Viṣṇu), and offerings to Devas and Pitṛs integrate cosmic and ancestral obligations. In tīrtha literature, this sequence is presented as a complete dharmic act combining bhakti and ṛṇa-traya (debts to gods, sages, and ancestors—here emphasizing Devas and Pitṛs).

Is “Mahodakyā” a river, lake, or a generic sacred water?

The form “-yāṃ” indicates a named water-site; in tīrtha catalogues such names often denote a specific pond/lake/river-reach used for snāna. The text treats it as a distinct tīrtha (a ‘great-watered’ place) rather than a mere adjective.

Why is Pāriyātra important in Purāṇic geography?

Pāriyātra is a well-known mountain/range in Purāṇic topography, frequently functioning as a boundary-marker and as a node connecting tīrthas. Here it serves as the next waypoint in a pilgrimage itinerary, showing the Vāmana Purāṇa’s characteristic mapping of merit onto landscape.