Shloka 13

Narmadā Pilgrimage Itinerary: Sequence of Tīrthas, Rites, and Fruits

Devanagari script

विकृतानन बीभत्सस्तच्च तीर्थमुपागतः । तत्र कन्या महाराज वराय परमेश्वरः

Transliteration

vikṛtānana bībhatsastacca tīrthamupāgataḥ | tatra kanyā mahārāja varāya parameśvaraḥ

Translation

وبوجهٍ مشوَّهٍ وحالٍ مُفزعٍ أتى إلى ذلك المَخاض المقدّس. وهناك، أيها الملك العظيم، كانت فتاةٌ مُهيّأةً لزواج الربّ الأعلى.

Word by Word

• विकृताननः: with a distorted face
• विकृताननः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of बीभत्सः
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विकृतानन (प्रातिपदिक) = विकृत + आनन
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (विकृतम् आननम् यस्य)

• बीभत्सः: the dreadful one (a fearsome being)
• बीभत्सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीभत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (कर्म) (object of 'reached')
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) / Conjunction
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• तीर्थम्: pilgrimage place, ford
• तीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म) (object of 'reached')
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• उपागतः: having reached/came to
• उपागतः: Kriyā (क्रिया) (participial predicate of बीभत्सः)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उपागत (कृदन्त) ← गम् (धातु) + उप + क्त
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; कर्तरि प्रयोगः (having come/reached)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• कन्या: a maiden/daughter
• कन्या: Karta (कर्ता) (contextual subject; elliptical construction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज (प्रातिपदिक) = महा + राजन्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (महान् राजा)

• वराय: for a bridegroom/boon
• वराय: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान) / Dative purpose
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (Dative/चतुर्थी), एकवचनम्

• परमेश्वरः: the Supreme Lord
• परमेश्वरः: Karta (कर्ता) (implicit: as bridegroom/agent in context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परमेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) = परम + ईश्वर
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (परमः ईश्वरः)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator addressing a king (mahārāja) (likely within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma framing typical of Purāṇic narration)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: बीभत्सस्तच्च→बीभत्सः+तत्+च; तीर्थमुपागतः→तीर्थम्+उपागतः

Characters & Entities

• Parameśvara (Supreme Lord)
• Mahārāja (unnamed king)
• Kanyā (unnamed maiden)
• Tīrtha (unnamed sacred site)

FAQs

What does this verse indicate about the role of a tīrtha in Purāṇic storytelling?

It presents the tīrtha as a decisive turning-point location—where a person in a fearful or afflicted condition arrives and the narrative shifts toward divine purpose (here, a marriage-related event connected to the Supreme Lord).

Does this verse explicitly identify which deity is meant by “Parameśvara”?

No. “Parameśvara” is a title meaning “Supreme Lord.” The specific deity must be inferred from the surrounding verses and chapter context.

What ethical or spiritual theme is implied by the description of arriving at a tīrtha while afflicted?

The implied theme is that sacred places are approached even in states of impurity, fear, or suffering, and that contact with a tīrtha can mark the beginning of transformation or divine intervention.