Shloka 24

Kāmodākhyāna

Glory of the Kāmodā Sacred Place

Devanagari script

एतद्धि परमं तीर्थं लभ्यं भाग्यवशाद्भवेत् । हिमात्ययादगे भद्रे दुर्गभं विकटस्थलम् ॥ २४ ॥

Transliteration

etaddhi paramaṃ tīrthaṃ labhyaṃ bhāgyavaśādbhavet | himātyayādage bhadre durgabhaṃ vikaṭasthalam || 24 ||

Translation

Wahrlich, dies ist das höchste Tīrtha, das nur durch die Kraft guten Geschicks erlangt wird. O glückverheißende Frau, es liegt am Himalaya-Gebirge, in einer furchtbaren, zerklüfteten Gegend, schwer zu erreichen.

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nominative/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक (pronominal stem)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध/हेतु-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• tīrtham: pilgrimage place/sacred ford
• tīrtham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• labhyam: obtainable
• labhyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √labh (धातु) + ya (प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (gerundive/भाव्य), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); ‘to be obtained’

• bhāgya-vaśāt: due to the power of fortune
• bhāgya-vaśāt: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāgya (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (Tatpuruṣa; ‘fortune’s control’), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine) [vaśa], पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhavet: may be/comes to be
• bhavet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• himātyayāt: after the end of winter/snow
• himātyayāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hima (प्रातिपदिक) + atyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (Tatpuruṣa; ‘passing of snow/winter’), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine) [atyaya], पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• age: on the mountain
• age: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhadre: O auspicious one/dear lady
• bhadre: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Masculine/Feminine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• durgabham: hard to access
• durgabham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: durgabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• vikaṭa-sthalam: a rugged terrain/place
• vikaṭa-sthalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vikaṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + sthala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (Karmadhāraya; ‘rugged place’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narada (teaching a tirtha-mahatmya narrative; addressed to a female interlocutor as 'bhadre')

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Himalaya
• Tirtha

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It teaches that certain tīrthas are “parama” (supreme) yet not easily accessible—reaching them depends on accumulated puṇya and bhāgya, emphasizing grace and merit behind pilgrimage.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By portraying the tīrtha as hard to reach and gained by fortune, the verse implies humility and dependence on divine favor—key bhakti attitudes—rather than mere physical effort alone.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Indirectly, it reflects dharma-śāstric pilgrimage principles (tīrtha-yātrā) and the idea of auspicious timing/fortune often associated with Jyotiṣa-based planning, though no specific Vedāṅga rule is explicitly stated in this verse.