Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 11

Rudrakoṭi, Madhuvana, Puṣpanagarī, and Kālañjara — Śveta’s Bhakti and the Subjugation of Kāla

Devanagari script

कालञ्जरं महातीर्थं लोके रुद्रो महेश्वरः / कालं जरितवान् देवो यत्र भक्तिप्रियो हरः

Transliteration

kālañjaraṃ mahātīrthaṃ loke rudro maheśvaraḥ / kālaṃ jaritavān devo yatra bhaktipriyo haraḥ

Translation

Kālañjara is famed in the world as a great tīrtha, a mighty sacred ford; there Rudra—Maheśvara, the Great Lord—wore down and overcame Kāla, Time itself. In that place the divine Hara, who is dear to bhakti, is especially pleased with devotees.

Word by Word

• कालञ्जरम्: Kālañjara (place)
• कालञ्जरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालञ्जर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; proper noun (place)

• महातीर्थम्: great sacred ford/pilgrimage-place
• महातीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘महच्च तत् तीर्थम्’

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• रुद्रः: Rudra
• रुद्रः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• महेश्वरः: the Great Lord (Maheśvara)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (पूर्वपद) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘महान् ईश्वरः’

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• जरितवान्: having worn out/consumed
• जरितवान्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जॄ (धातु) + इतवत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृतान्त (भूतकृत्/परिपूर्णकृत्), कर्तरि प्रयोग; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘jaritavān’ = having worn out/consumed (time)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: ‘where’)

• भक्तिप्रियः: fond of devotion/devotees
• भक्तिप्रियः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘भक्तेः प्रियः’ (fond of devotion/devotees)

• हरः: Hara (Śiva)
• हरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing sages/seekers in a tirtha-mahatmya section

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Kālañjara
• Rudra
• Maheśvara
• Hara
• Kāla (Time)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By portraying Rudra as one who can “wear away Time,” the verse points to the transcendence of the Lord beyond temporality—hinting that the highest reality is not bound by time and decay, a key Purāṇic marker of the Supreme.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes bhakti as the effective spiritual means: the Lord at Kālañjara is “bhaktipriya,” suggesting devotion, pilgrimage with reverence, and focused worship as purifying disciplines aligned with Purāṇic sādhanā.

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

Within the Kurma Purana’s synthetic theology, a Vishnu-voice (Kurma) can glorify Rudra/Hara as supreme and devotion-responsive, reflecting the text’s Shaiva–Vaishnava harmony rather than sectarian separation.