Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 32

Śrāddha-Kāla-Nirṇaya: Proper Times, Nakṣatra Fruits, Tīrtha Merit, and Offerings for Ancestral Rites

Devanagari script

वराहपर्वते चैव गङ्गायां वै विशेषतः / वाराणस्यां विशेषेण यत्र देवः स्वयं हरः

Transliteration

varāhaparvate caiva gaṅgāyāṃ vai viśeṣataḥ / vārāṇasyāṃ viśeṣeṇa yatra devaḥ svayaṃ haraḥ

Translation

And at Varāha Mountain, and especially on the Gaṅgā—most particularly at Vārāṇasī—where the God Hara (Śiva) himself abides in person.

Word by Word

• varāha-parvate: on Varāha mountain
• varāha-parvate: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varāha (प्रातिपदिक) + parvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) — “on Varāha-mountain”

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle) — “indeed/just”

• gaṅgāyām: in the Ganges
• gaṅgāyām: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — “in the Gaṅgā”

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle of emphasis/assurance)

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣatas (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb) — “especially”

• vārāṇasyām: in Vārāṇasī
• vārāṇasyām: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — “in Vārāṇasī”

• viśeṣeṇa: particularly
• viśeṣeṇa: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (instrumental used adverbially) — “particularly”

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb) — “where”

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — “the god”

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात/क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय — “himself”

• haraḥ: Hara (Śiva)
• haraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — “Hara (Śiva)” (apposition to devaḥ)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-mahātmya context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Varāha-parvata
• Gaṅgā
• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• Hara (Śiva)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly, by emphasizing a tirtha where Śiva is said to be present “in person,” the verse points to the Purāṇic idea that the supreme reality can be approached through manifest sacred presence (sākṣāt-sannidhi) that awakens inner recognition.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

This verse itself stresses tīrtha-sannidhi (dwelling/visiting sacred places) as a support for purification; in Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Yoga frame, such purification is a preparatory aid for japa, dhyāna, and Pāśupata-oriented discipline.

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

Within the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, praising Śiva’s supreme sanctity at Kāśī inside a Vaiṣṇava-linked Purāṇa reinforces non-sectarian reverence—Śiva’s presence is honored as fully authoritative without negating Viṣṇu’s supremacy elsewhere.