Shloka 66

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

Devanagari script

योजनं तत् स्मृतं क्षेत्रं देवगन्धर्वसेवितम् / शुक्लतीर्थमिति ख्यातं सर्वपापविनाशनम्

Transliteration

yojanaṃ tat smṛtaṃ kṣetraṃ devagandharvasevitam / śuklatīrthamiti khyātaṃ sarvapāpavināśanam

Translation

Jenem heiligen Gebiet wird eine Ausdehnung von einer Yojana zugeschrieben; es wird von Göttern und Gandharvas besucht und verehrt. Es ist berühmt als Śukla-tīrtha, die heilige Furt, die alle Sünden vernichtet.

Word by Word

• yojanam: (a) yojana (measure)
• yojanam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; measure

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Demonstrative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; deictic pronoun

• smṛtam: is remembered/considered
• smṛtam: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/PPP), Neuter, Nominative, Singular; predicate with yojanam/kṣetram

• kṣetram: a sacred region/field
• kṣetram: Karta (कर्ता/Subject/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; apposition to yojanam

• deva-gandharva-sevitam: served/visited by gods and gandharvas
• deva-gandharva-sevitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + gandharva (प्रातिपदिक) + sevita (सेवित, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; compound with PPP: 'served by devas and gandharvas'; dvandva (deva-gandharva) + tatpuruṣa with sevita

• śukla-tīrtham: Śukla Tīrtha
• śukla-tīrtham: Karta (कर्ता/Subject/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śukla (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; name in apposition

• iti: thus/as
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; quotative particle (इति-निपात)

• khyātam: is renowned/called
• khyātam: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: khyā (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/PPP), Neuter, Nominative, Singular; predicate

• sarva-pāpa-vināśanam: destroyer of all sins
• sarva-pāpa-vināśanam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + vināśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; adjective qualifying śuklatīrtham/kṣetram

Speaker

Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s tīrtha-māhātmya to the sages, within the broader dialogue tradition)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Śukla-tīrtha
• Devas
• Gandharvas

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it emphasizes purification (pāpa-vināśana) through contact with a sanctified space, preparing the mind for clearer knowledge of the Self taught elsewhere in the Purana’s yoga and jñāna sections.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse highlights tīrtha-sevā (pilgrimage and reverent resort) as a purificatory limb that supports later yogic discipline—cleaning karmic impediments so practices like japa, dhyāna, and vrata can bear fruit.

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

By focusing on tīrtha as universally sanctifying and frequented by divine beings, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s inclusive framework where sacred merit supports both Shaiva and Vaishnava devotion rather than sectarian separation.