Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 28

Svāyambhuva Lineage to Dakṣa; Pṛthu’s Devotion; Pāśupata Saṃnyāsa; Dakṣa–Satī Episode

Devanagari script

मन्दाकिनीजले स्त्रात्वा संतर्प्य पितृदेवताः / अर्चयित्वा महादेवं पुष्पैः पद्मोत्पलादिभिः

Transliteration

mandākinījale strātvā saṃtarpya pitṛdevatāḥ / arcayitvā mahādevaṃ puṣpaiḥ padmotpalādibhiḥ

Translation

Having bathed in the waters of the Mandākinī, and having offered oblations to the Pitṛs and the presiding deities, one should then worship Mahādeva with flowers such as lotus and blue-lotus and the like.

Word by Word

• मन्दाकिनी-जले: in the water of (the river) Mandākinī
• मन्दाकिनी-जले: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दाकिनी (प्रातिपदिक) + जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मन्दाकिन्याः जलम्)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: पूर्वक्रिया (Pūrvakriyā/Anterior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• संतर्प्य: having satisfied (offered oblations to)
• संतर्प्य: पूर्वक्रिया (Pūrvakriyā/Anterior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund) with उपसर्ग सम्; अव्ययभाव

• पितृ-देवताः: the ancestral deities (pitṛs)
• पितृ-देवताः: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (पितर एव देवताः)

• अर्चयित्वा: having worshipped
• अर्चयित्वा: पूर्वक्रिया (Pūrvakriyā/Anterior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव

• महादेवम्: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• महादेवम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् देवः)

• पुष्पैः: with flowers
• पुष्पैः: करण (Karaṇa/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• पद्म-उत्पल-आदिभिः: with lotuses, water-lilies, and the like
• पद्म-उत्पल-आदिभिः: करण (Karaṇa/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्म (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्पल (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (पद्मानि च उत्पलानि च) + ‘आदि’ (etc.)

Speaker

Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing the sages/seekers on tīrtha-dharma and Śiva-pūjā

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Mandākinī
• Pitṛs
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Padma (lotus)
• Utpala (blue lotus)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly, by prescribing purification (tīrtha-snāna) and devotion (Śiva-pūjā), it frames realization as supported by inner and outer śuddhi—preparing the mind for knowledge of the Self rather than defining Ātman explicitly.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

It emphasizes preparatory disciplines aligned with yoga-sādhana: ritual purification, gratitude to lineage (pitṛ-tarpaṇa), and focused worship (arcana) that steadies attention (ekāgratā) and cultivates sattva—often treated as prerequisites for deeper contemplation.

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

With Viṣṇu (as Lord Kūrma) instructing worship of Mahādeva, the Purāṇa models harmony: devotion to Śiva is presented as fully compatible within a Vaiṣṇava voice, reflecting the text’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.