Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17

Vārāṇasī (Avimukta) Māhātmya and the Catalogue of Guhya-Tīrthas

Devanagari script

उपशान्तं शिवं चैव व्याघ्रेश्वरमनुत्तमम् / त्रिलोचनं महातीर्थं लोलार्कं चोत्तराह्वयम्

Transliteration

upaśāntaṃ śivaṃ caiva vyāghreśvaramanuttamam / trilocanaṃ mahātīrthaṃ lolārkaṃ cottarāhvayam

Translation

وكذلك يوجد أوبَشانتَ و«شِيفا»؛ و«فْياغْرِشْفَرا» (Vyāghreśvara) الذي لا يُضاهى؛ و«تْرِلوتْشَنَ» (Trilocana) وهو تيرثا عظيم؛ و«لولارْكَ» (Lolārka) المعروف أيضًا باسم «أوتّرا» (Uttara).

Word by Word

• उपशान्तम्: calmed, pacified (name: Upaśānta)
• उपशान्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप-शान्त (प्रातिपदिक; उप + शान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular neuter; विशेषण

• शिवम्: Śiva
• शिवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular masculine

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (particle)

• व्याघ्रेश्वरम्: Vyāghreśvara (Lord of the tiger; tīrtha/Śiva-name)
• व्याघ्रेश्वरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याघ्र-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; व्याघ्र + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular masculine

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular masculine; विशेषण

• त्रिलोचनम्: Trilocana (three-eyed; Śiva)
• त्रिलोचनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि-लोचन (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + लोचन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular masculine; (शिवनाम)

• महातीर्थम्: great tīrtha
• महातीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; महा + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular neuter

• लोलार्कम्: Lolārka (tīrtha/name)
• लोलार्कम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोल-अर्क (प्रातिपदिक; लोल + अर्क)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular masculine

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• उत्तराह्वयम्: called ‘Uttara’ / having the name Uttara
• उत्तराह्वयम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर-आह्वय (प्रातिपदिक; उत्तर + आह्वय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular masculine; विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) recounting the Kurma Purana’s tīrtha-māhātmya listing

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vyaghresvara
• Trilocana
• Lolarka
• Tirtha

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

Indirectly: by naming Śiva-tīrthas and Śiva-lingas, the verse frames the Supreme as accessible through sacred loci where the one Reality is revered as Śiva—supporting the Purana’s tendency to treat the highest principle as worship-worthy in multiple theistic forms.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is taught in this line; its practice-oriented emphasis is pilgrimage and tīrtha-sevā—ritual purity, japa, and devotion at great tīrthas—often presented in the Kurma Purana as supportive disciplines that prepare the mind for higher yoga (including Pāśupata-oriented devotion and contemplation).

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

By embedding Śaiva sacred geography within a Vaiṣṇava Purana framework, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: the same Supreme is honored through Śiva-names and Śiva-sites while remaining consistent with the text’s broader Hari–Hara non-contradiction.