Shloka 39

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

Devanagari script

प्रदक्षिणं तु यः कुर्यात् पर्वतं ह्यमरकण्टकम् / पौण्डरीकस्य यज्ञस्य फलं प्राप्नोति मानः

Transliteration

pradakṣiṇaṃ tu yaḥ kuryāt parvataṃ hyamarakaṇṭakam / pauṇḍarīkasya yajñasya phalaṃ prāpnoti mānaḥ

Translation

Wer die Pradakṣiṇā vollzieht, die rituelle Umrundung des Berges Amarakantaka, erlangt den Verdienst und die Frucht des Pauṇḍarīka-Opfers.

Word by Word

• pradakṣiṇam: circumambulation
• pradakṣiṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pradakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); used adverbially as ‘circumambulation’

• tu: indeed, but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), particle (निपात) indicating emphasis/contrast

• yaḥ: who (whoever)
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun (यद्-प्रत्यय), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• kuryāt: should do
• kuryāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्/optative), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• parvatam: the mountain
• parvatam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), particle (निपात) giving emphasis/reason

• amara-kaṇṭakam: Amarakanṭaka (mountain)
• amara-kaṇṭakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amara (प्रातिपदिक) + kaṇṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) proper name; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); apposition to parvatam

• pauṇḍarīkasya: of the Pauṇḍarīka
• pauṇḍarīkasya: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pauṇḍarīka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (प्रायः नपुंसक/पुं), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• yajñasya: of the sacrifice
• yajñasya: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• phalam: fruit, result
• phalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• prāpnoti: attains
• prāpnoti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √prāp (धातु; pra-√āp आप्)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्/present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• mānaḥ: a person (one)
• mānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); agent noun ‘the person’

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) relaying the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-mahātmya teaching in the Purva-bhaga

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Amarakantaka
• Pauṇḍarīka Yajña

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it teaches that dharmic action performed with reverence in a sanctified field (tīrtha) yields transformative merit—preparing the mind for steadiness and purity, which are prerequisites for realizing the Self in later philosophical teachings.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The practice is karmayoga-oriented pilgrimage discipline: pradakṣiṇā (clockwise circumambulation) as a bodily form of devotion and attention, aligning the practitioner with sacred order (ṛta/dharma) and cultivating bhakti, restraint, and one-pointedness.

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

By emphasizing tīrtha and yajña as universally valid means of merit, it reflects the Purana’s synthesizing outlook: sacred acts are upheld across sectarian lines, supporting the broader Shaiva–Vaishnava harmony found throughout the Kurma Purana.