Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 22

Narmadā-māhātmya: Amarakāṇṭaka, Jāleśvara, Kapilā–Viśalyakaraṇī, and the Supreme Purifying Power of Darśana

Devanagari script

पश्चिमे पर्वततटे सर्वपापविनाशनः / ह्रदो जलेश्वरो नाम त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुतः

Transliteration

paścime parvatataṭe sarvapāpavināśanaḥ / hrado jaleśvaro nāma triṣu lokeṣu viśrutaḥ

Translation

Am westlichen Hang des Berges liegt ein See, der alle Sünden vernichtet. Er heißt Jaleśvara, und sein Ruhm ist in den drei Welten bekannt.

Word by Word

• पश्चिमे: in the western (side)
• पश्चिमे: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (locative adjective)

• पर्वत-तटे: on the mountain bank/slope
• पर्वत-तटे: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक) + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पर्वतस्य तटः)

• सर्व-पाप-विनाशनः: destroyer of all sins
• सर्व-पाप-विनाशनः: विशेषण (Adjectival to subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + विनाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• ह्रदः: a lake
• ह्रदः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• जल-ईश्वरः: Jaleśvara (lord of waters)
• जल-ईश्वरः: समानााधिकरण/नामधेय (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जलस्य ईश्वरः)

• नाम: by name
• नाम: सम्बन्ध/नामनिर्देश (Name-marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-निर्देशक (indeclinable used to mark name)

• त्रिषु: in three
• त्रिषु: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषणम्

• लोकेषु: worlds
• लोकेषु: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन

• विश्रुतः: renowned
• विश्रुतः: विशेषण (Adjectival to subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration, traditionally Sūta/Vyāsa-lineage) describing a tīrtha within the Kurma Purana’s sacred geography

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Jaleśvara (Hrada/Tīrtha)
• Tri-loka (three worlds)
• Parvata (mountain)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it emphasizes purification (pāpa-kṣaya) as a prerequisite for clearer knowledge; in the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, outer tīrtha supports inner readiness for realizing the Self.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse highlights tīrtha-sevā and ritual bathing as purificatory disciplines; within Kurma Purana’s broader Yoga-shāstra framing, such purification complements mantra-japa, niyama, and meditative steadiness.

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

By presenting a universally revered tīrtha (“famed in three worlds”), it fits the Purana’s inclusive sacred-topography where sanctity is not sectarian—supporting the Shaiva–Vaishnava unity that the text repeatedly advances.