Vamana Purana — Sacred Abodes of Vishnu & Shiva, Shloka 10

Catalogue of Vishnu and Shiva’s Sacred Abodes (Tirtha-Mahatmya within the Pulastya–Narada Frame)

Devanagari script

त्रैलोक्यनाथं वरदं गोप्रतारे कुशेशयम् अर्द्धनारीश्वरं पुण्ये माहेन्द्रे दभिणे गिरौ

Transliteration

trailokyanāthaṃ varadaṃ gopratāre kuśeśayam arddhanārīśvaraṃ puṇye māhendre dabhiṇe girau

Translation

گوپرتار میں اسے تینوں لوکوں کا ناتھ، بر دینے والا—اور کُشیشَی—کے طور پر جان؛ اور پُنیہ جنوبی ماہَیندر پہاڑ پر اسے اردھناریشور کے روپ میں جان۔

Speakers

• Instructional catalogue voice continuing the mapping of divine forms to pilgrimage sites.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Shiva
• Shakti (as the feminine half in Ardhanārīśvara)

Key Themes

• Tīrtha localization of divine epithets
• Boons and salvific power of place
• Shaiva–Shakta theology embedded in geography
• Co-presence of Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva sites within one itinerary

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What kind of place is ‘Go-pratāra’?

The term suggests a ‘crossing/ford’ (pratāra) connected with cattle (go), implying a riverine tīrtha where passage, bathing, or ritual crossing is central. In tīrtha-catalogues, such fords are key nodes for pilgrimage movement and vow-performance.

Why are both Viṣṇu-forms and Ardhanārīśvara mentioned in the same verse?

Adhyāya 63 operates as a geographic register rather than a sectarian hymn. It deliberately places Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva(-Śākta) manifestations side by side, presenting the subcontinent’s sacred landscape as an integrated network of divine presences.

What does ‘Kuśeśaya’ imply about worship at the site?

‘Kuśeśaya’ evokes lotus/water-lily imagery and an aquatic setting, hinting that the associated tīrtha may involve a pond, lake, or river-lotus environment where water-rituals (snāna, tarpaṇa) and lotus-offerings are especially appropriate.