Shloka 14

Narmadā–Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Sequence of Sacred Fords and Their Fruits

Devanagari script

आराधयेन्महायोगं देवं नारायणं हरिम् / गोसहस्रफलं प्राप्य विष्णुलोकं स गच्छति

Transliteration

ārādhayenmahāyogaṃ devaṃ nārāyaṇaṃ harim / gosahasraphalaṃ prāpya viṣṇulokaṃ sa gacchati

Translation

Wer den Herrn Nārāyaṇa verehrt—Hari, den Großen Yogin (Mahāyoga) selbst—erlangt Verdienst wie durch die Gabe von tausend Kühen und gelangt danach in die Welt Viṣṇus.

Word by Word

• ārādhayet: should worship/propitiate
• ārādhayet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-rādh (आ + राध् धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, optative), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Eka-vacana

• mahā-yogam: the great yoga
• mahā-yogam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (accusative), Eka-vacana; karmadhāraya: 'great yoga'

• devam: the god
• devam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dvitīyā (accusative), Eka-vacana

• nārāyaṇam: Nārāyaṇa
• nārāyaṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dvitīyā, Eka-vacana; apposition to devam

• harim: Hari
• harim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dvitīyā, Eka-vacana; apposition to nārāyaṇam

• go-sahasra-phalam: the merit equal to a thousand cows
• go-sahasra-phalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go + sahasra + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (accusative), Eka-vacana; tatpuruṣa: 'fruit/result equal to a thousand cows'

• prāpya: having obtained
• prāpya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (प्र + आप् धातु)
• Form: Lyap-gerund (ल्यप्/अव्ययकृदन्त), 'having obtained'

• viṣṇu-lokam: to Viṣṇu’s world
• viṣṇu-lokam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dvitīyā (accusative), Eka-vacana; tatpuruṣa: 'Viṣṇu's world'

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Prathamā (nominative), Eka-vacana; pronoun

• gacchati: goes
• gacchati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्, present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Eka-vacana

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing sages (Ishvara-style teaching on devotion and merit)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Narayana
• Hari
• Vishnu
• Vishnuloka
• Mahāyoga

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling Nārāyaṇa “Mahāyoga,” the verse points to the Supreme as the very ground of Yoga—both the goal (parama-gati) and the inner power that enables realization—so devotion to Him aligns the seeker with the highest Self.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse foregrounds ārādhana (worshipful contemplation) as a yogic discipline: steady remembrance, reverence, and surrender to the Lord as Mahāyogin—presented as a direct means to spiritual merit and higher attainment.

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

Though explicitly Vaishnava in naming Nārāyaṇa/Hari, it uses the yogic epithet “Mahāyoga,” a title also resonant in Śaiva yoga discourse, reflecting the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance where supreme divinity is approached through shared yogic and devotional categories.