Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Tirtha Circuit, Shloka 47

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

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा कपिलधारायां संतर्प्यार्च्य पितृन् सुरान् दृष्ट्वा स्कन्दं समभ्यर्च्य नर्मदायां जगाम ह

Transliteration

snātvā kapiladhārāyāṃ saṃtarpyārcya pitṛn surān dṛṣṭvā skandaṃ samabhyarcya narmadāyāṃ jagāma ha

Translation

اس نے کپل دھارا میں غسل کیا، پِتروں اور دیوتاؤں کو ترپن دے کر ان کی ارچنا کی؛ پھر اسکند (سکند) کے دیدار کرکے باقاعدہ پوجا کی اور بعد ازاں نَرمدا کی طرف گیا۔

Speakers

• Narratorial voice describing the pilgrim’s ritual itinerary.

Primary Deities

• Pitṛs (ancestral deities)
• Devas (Surāḥ)
• Skanda (Kārttikeya)

Key Themes

• Snāna (purificatory bath)
• Tarpaṇa and Pitṛ-yajña (ancestral rites)
• Devata-darśana and pūjā
• Pilgrimage progression toward Narmadā

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are Pitṛ rites (tarpaṇa/arcana) placed immediately after bathing at Kapiladhārā?

Purāṇic tīrtha manuals commonly sequence snāna → tarpaṇa → devapūjā. Bathing establishes ritual purity; tarpaṇa then becomes efficacious, especially at waters linked with Varuṇa/ṛta and renowned tīrthas, making the offering to ancestors and gods ‘complete’ (saṃtarpya).

What does ‘dṛṣṭvā skandaṃ’ imply—an icon, a shrine, or a theophany?

In tīrtha-mahātmya diction, ‘seeing’ (darśana) typically indicates a shrine or established sacred presence (liṅga/mūrti/altar) rather than a narrative epiphany. The verse reads like a pilgrimage checklist: visit, see, worship, proceed.

How does the verse position Narmadā within the itinerary?

Narmadā is treated as the next major sacred hydrological node after Kapiladhārā. The movement ‘to Narmadā’ signals entry into a broader Narmadā-centered tīrtha network where subsequent Viṣṇu/Śiva sites are often enumerated.