Shloka 41

Kuru's Consecration — Kuru’s Consecration and the Sanctification of Samantapañcaka (Kurukshetra)

Devanagari script

एतानि सर्वतो ऽभ्येत्य रक्षन्ति कुरुजाङ्गलम् अमीषां बलिनो ऽन्ये च भृत्याश्चैवानुयायिनः

Transliteration

etāni sarvato 'bhyetya rakṣanti kurujāṅgalam amīṣāṃ balino 'nye ca bhṛtyāścaivānuyāyinaḥ

Translation

Von allen Seiten herantretend schützen diese Wächter Kurujāṅgala; und auch andere—ihre starken Diener und Gefolgsleute—bewachen es mit.

Word by Word

• etāni: these
• etāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया) / Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); here object of rakṣanti

• sarvataḥ: from all sides
• sarvataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvatas (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (दिग्वाचक/देशवाचक अव्यय)

• abhyetya: having approached
• abhyetya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-√i (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), from abhi + i; indeclinable verbal form; prior action to main verb

• rakṣanti: protect
• rakṣanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्, Present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• kurujāṅgalam: Kuru-jāṅgala (region)
• kurujāṅgalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuru (प्रातिपदिक) + jāṅgala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) place-name; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• amīṣām: of those
• amīṣām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• balinaḥ: of the strong
• balinaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: balin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन); adjective qualifying implied 'of the strong ones'

• anye: others
• anye: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयार्थक निपात)

• bhṛtyāḥ: servants
• bhṛtyāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयार्थक निपात)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (अवधारण निपात)

• anuyāyinaḥ: followers, attendants
• anuyāyinaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anu-√yā + in (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्ताधारित)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); agent noun 'followers'

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada (typical Vāmana Purāṇa framing; chapter-level attribution)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (implied as appointing authority in preceding verses)
• Mahodeva (Śiva, included among protectors in v.40)
• Agni (Pāvaka)

Key Themes

• Sacred Geography
• Kṣetra-rakṣā
• Dharma as protected order
• Pilgrimage-space sanctity (tīrtha integrity)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Sanctity is sustained by vigilant, collective responsibility. The verse implies that sacred order is maintained through coordinated guardianship—an ethic mirrored in human life as communal protection of dharma, institutions, and places of learning/worship.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

This is supportive narrative within tīrtha-māhātmya/caritāṅga material (describing the status and protection of a sacred region). It is not sarga/pratisarga; it functions as an explanatory charter for why the place remains secure and efficacious.

What is the symbolic significance?

‘From all sides’ suggests the kṣetra as a consecrated mandala with perimeter-guardians. The mention of attendants and followers indicates that protection is not merely singular-divine but an ordered hierarchy—symbolizing how dharma is upheld through layered agencies (cosmic, ritual, social).