section devoted to pilgrimage in general,
giving the rules for its performance, and
continues with three sections giving the
prescriptions for pilgrimages to
Allahabad, Benares, and Gaya. The
Tristhalisetu is an important example of
the class of commentarial literature
known as nibandhas(“collections”).
The nibandhas were compendia of
Hindu lore, in which the compilers
culled references on a particular theme
from the Vedas, dharma literature,
puranas, and other authoritative reli-
gious texts, and then compiled these
excerpts into a single volume, often with
their own commentary. Narayana
Bhatta was one of the most learned men
of his time, and he was attempting to
define everything precisely, based on his
sources, so that people would know how
to do the right thing. The initial section
of this text has been edited and translated
by Richard Salomon as The Bridge to the
Three Holy Cities,1985.
Triveni
(“Triple stream”) Traditional epithet for
the confluence of the Ganges and
Yamuna Riversin the city of Allahabad,
in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Although
only two rivers can be seen at the con-
fluence, the name Triveni comes from
the traditional belief that they are joined
by a third river, the Saraswati, which
flows underground and is unseen to the
naked eye.
Trivikrama
(“[taking] Three Steps”) Epithet of the
god Vishnuin his avatar, or incarna-
tion, as a dwarf (Vamana). The name
exists because diminutive Vamana begs
three paces of land from the demon-
king Baliand then grows to such a large
size that these three paces measure out
the universe. See Vamana avatar.
Triyuginarayan
Village and sacred site (tirtha) in
the Mandakini River valley in the
Garhwal region of the Himalayas,
fifteen miles down from Kedarnath. The
site for Triyuginarayan is on the top
of a mountain, surrounded by forest.
Triyuginarayan’s major temple is dedi-
cated to the god Vishnuin his form as
Narayana, and in front of the temple is a
pit in which a fireis said to have been
smoldering for the past three cosmic
ages (triyugi). According to its charter
myth, Triyuginarayan is the site at which
the deities Shivaand Parvatiwere mar-
ried, a ceremony to which this continu-
ously smoldering fire (in its guise as
Agni, the fire-god) stands as the witness.Trnavarta
In Hindu mythology, Trnavarta is one of
the demonassassins sent by Kamsa, the
demon-king of Mathura, in an attempt
to kill his nephew, the child-god
Krishna. Trnavarta is a whirlwind that
sweeps Krishna up into the air, but
Krishna holds tight to Trnavarta until he
simply blows himself out.Truth, Power of
In popular Hindu belief, truth is seen as
having magical power of its own, a
power to which people can appeal in
their time of distress. One way of
appealing to this power is through the
famous act of truth, a conditional state-
ment in which the first part is a true
statement about one’s past behavior and
the second part a request for some spe-
cific result (for example, “If I have always
given to those who begged from me,
may this fire not burn me”). The power
of truth was also invoked in trial by
ordeal and was seen as the power
that made the ordeal a valid means of
testing people.Tryambakeshvar
Temple and sacred site (tirtha) in the
village of Trimbakin the Nasikdistrict
of the state of Maharashtra, at the head-
waters of the Godavari River. The tem-
ple is named for its presiding deity, the
god Shivain his manifestation as the
“Three-Eyed Lord.” Shiva is present atTryambakeshvar