Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23

Prayāga-māhātmya — The Greatness of Prayāga and the Discipline of Pilgrimage

Devanagari script

षष्टिर्धनुः सहस्त्राणि यानि रक्षन्ति जाह्नवीम् / यमुनां रक्षति सदा सविता सप्तवाहनः

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭirdhanuḥ sahastrāṇi yāni rakṣanti jāhnavīm / yamunāṃ rakṣati sadā savitā saptavāhanaḥ

Translation

Sechzigtausend himmlische Bogenschützen bewachen die Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā). Und die Yamunā schützt stets der Sonnengott Savitṛ, der auf seinem von sieben Rossen gezogenen Wagen fährt.

Word by Word

• षष्टिः: sixty
• षष्टिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; with 'धनुः सहस्त्राणि')
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्टि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); संख्या (cardinal) used with following measure-word

• धनुः: a bow-length (measure)
• धनुः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; measure qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); परिमाणवाचक (measure-word)

• सहस्त्राणि: thousands
• सहस्त्राणि: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; with implied 'are')
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• यानि: which
• यानि: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural) — relative pronoun referring to 'सहस्त्राणि'

• रक्षन्ति: protect
• रक्षन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Finite verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• जाह्नवीम्: the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• जाह्नवीम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• यमुनाम्: Yamunā
• यमुनाम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमुना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• रक्षति: protects
• रक्षति: Kriya (क्रिया/Finite verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time/frequency)

• सविता: Savitṛ (the Sun)
• सविता: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सवितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सप्त-वाहनः: having seven steeds
• सप्त-वाहनः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + वाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहि — 'यस्यानि वाहनानि सप्त' (he whose vehicle(s) are seven), 'सविता' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) relaying Purāṇic sacred geography and tīrtha-mahātmya to the sages

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• Yamunā
• Savitṛ (Sun-god)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by portraying rivers as sustained by cosmic order and divine guardianship, the verse points to an underlying governing principle (Īśvara/ṛta) that upholds the world—within which the Self is contemplated as aligned with dharma and cosmic harmony.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse itself is tīrtha-oriented rather than instructional yoga; in Kurma Purana usage, such descriptions support tīrtha-sevā and smaraṇa (contemplative recollection) as preparatory disciplines—purifying mind and intention before higher practices taught elsewhere (e.g., Pāśupata-oriented devotion and inner restraint).

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

This specific verse does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it reflects the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis by presenting a unified sacred cosmos where multiple deities function as expressions of one dharmic order, supporting pilgrimage, purity, and spiritual pursuit.