Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 8

Incarnations of Mahādeva in Kali-yuga (Vaivasvata Manvantara) and the Nakulīśa Horizon

Devanagari script

गोकर्णश्चाभवत् तस्माद् गुहावासः शिखण्ड्यथ / जटामाल्यट्टहासश्च दारुको लाङ्गली क्रमात्

Transliteration

gokarṇaścābhavat tasmād guhāvāsaḥ śikhaṇḍyatha / jaṭāmālyaṭṭahāsaśca dāruko lāṅgalī kramāt

Translation

From that cause the place came to be known as Gokarṇa; thereafter arose the names Guhāvāsa and Śikhaṇḍin. In due sequence, (the sacred sites) were also known as Jaṭāmālya, Aṭṭahāsa, Dāruka, and Lāṅgalī.

Word by Word

• gokarṇaḥ: Gokarṇa (name)
• gokarṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gokarṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: गो + कर्ण (cow-ear; name)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात

• abhavat: became / was
• abhavat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tasmāt: from that / thereafter
• tasmāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• guhāvāsaḥ: Guhāvāsa (name)
• guhāvāsaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhāvāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: गुहा + वास (dweller in a cave; name)

• śikhaṇḍī: Śikhaṇḍī (name)
• śikhaṇḍī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śikhaṇḍin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; इन्-प्रत्ययान्त (crested; name)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमार्थक-निपात

• jaṭāmālyaṭṭahāsaḥ: Jaṭāmālyaṭṭahāsa (name)
• jaṭāmālyaṭṭahāsaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaṭā-mālya-aṭṭahāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (name): जटा + माल्य + अट्टहास

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात

• dārukaḥ: Dāruka (name)
• dārukaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāruka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• lāṅgalī: Lāṅgalī (name)
• lāṅgalī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lāṅgalin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; इन्-प्रत्ययान्त (plough-bearer; name)

• kramāt: in order / successively
• kramāt: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत् (instrumental used adverbially)

Speaker

Sūta (traditional Purāṇic narrator) recounting the tirtha-name origins as taught by the sages

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Gokarṇa
• Guhāvāsa
• Śikhaṇḍin
• Jaṭāmālya
• Aṭṭahāsa
• Dāruka
• Lāṅgalī

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by emphasizing tīrtha-nāma and sacred geography, the verse points to the Purāṇic method where devotion, remembrance, and sanctified place-names become supports (ālambana) for inward recollection of the one Supreme Reality honored through multiple forms.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse itself lists tīrtha-names; in the Kurma Purana’s broader discipline, tīrtha-sevana (pilgrimage, japa, śravaṇa-kīrtana at holy sites) functions as a preparatory sādhana that purifies mind and supports steadiness for dhyāna and Pāśupata-oriented restraint.

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

By treating sacred sites—many traditionally connected with Śaiva memory (e.g., jaṭā, aṭṭahāsa motifs) and also Purāṇic Vaiṣṇava narration—within one continuous list, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance where the same sacred order is approached through both Śiva and Viṣṇu idioms.