Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Tirtha Circuit, Shloka 43

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

Devanagari script

सहस्रलिङ्गं संपूज्य स्नात्वा कन्याह्रदे शुचिः अभिवाद्य गुरुं शुक्रं सोमतीर्थं जगाम ह

Transliteration

sahasraliṅgaṃ saṃpūjya snātvā kanyāhrade śuciḥ abhivādya guruṃ śukraṃ somatīrthaṃ jagāma ha

Translation

اس نے سہسرلِنگ کی باقاعدہ پوجا کی، کنیاہرد میں غسل کرکے پاک ہوا؛ اپنے گرو شُکر کو سجدۂ تعظیم کرکے پھر سومتیرتھ کی طرف روانہ ہوا۔

Speakers

• Narratorial voice (Sūta-like narrator) describing the pilgrim’s itinerary within the Saromahatmya section; the verse itself is not direct dialogue.

Primary Deities

• Shiva
• Soma (Chandra)
• Shukra (as guru figure)

Key Themes

• Tirtha-yatra (pilgrimage sequence)
• Ritual purity through snāna
• Śaiva devotion (liṅga-pūjā)
• Guru-vandana (reverence to the preceptor)
• Merit accumulation through sequential tirtha visitation

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the verse pair liṅga-worship with bathing in a hrada (pool)?

In Purāṇic tirtha-vidhi, pūjā and snāna function together: worship establishes devotional intent, while bathing effects ritual purification (śauca). The sequence marks a complete tirtha-observance—devotion plus embodied purification—before moving to the next sacred station.

Who is ‘guru Śukra’ here, and why is he saluted during a pilgrimage itinerary?

Śukra (Uśanas/Kāvya) is the Asura-preceptor and a paradigmatic guru figure. The text models dharmic conduct: even amid tirtha-merit seeking, one must honor the guru, since guru-vandana is itself a source of auspiciousness and legitimacy for rites performed.

What does Soma-tīrtha signify in a geography-driven Purāṇa like the Vāmana Purāṇa?

Soma-tīrtha anchors the landscape in a deity-linked toponym. Such names map divine presence onto specific waters/places, turning geography into a ritual network; Soma-tīrthas often carry connotations of purification, cooling/soothing merit, and sometimes pitṛ-related rites (which the next verse makes explicit).