Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 6

Tīrtha-Māhātmya and the Discipline of Pilgrimage (Tīrtha-sevā) within Prāyaścitta

Devanagari script

पिण्डदानादिकं तत्र प्रेत्यानन्तफलप्रदम् / मृतस्तत्रापि नियमाद् ब्रह्मलोके महीयते

Transliteration

piṇḍadānādikaṃ tatra pretyānantaphalapradam / mṛtastatrāpi niyamād brahmaloke mahīyate

Translation

Allí, actos como la ofrenda de piṇḍas (bolas de arroz funerarias) otorgan frutos inagotables después de la muerte. Incluso quien muere allí, por la fuerza de esa ordenanza sagrada, es honrado en el reino de Brahmā.

Word by Word

• piṇḍa-dāna-ādikam: piṇḍa-offering and related rites
• piṇḍa-dāna-ādikam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṇḍa + dāna + ādika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (determinative), अर्थः ‘पिण्डदानं च तदादि च’

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• pretya: after death
• pretya: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra + i (√इ, धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), ‘प्रेत्य’ = ‘मृत्युम् अतिक्रम्य/मरणानन्तरम्’ (after dying)

• ananta-phala-pradam: granting endless fruit (results)
• ananta-phala-pradam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ananta + phala + prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (‘अनन्तं फलं’ + ‘प्रदम्’)

• mṛtaḥ: a dead person (one who has died)
• mṛtaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛta (कृदन्त; √मृ, धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nom.), एकवचन (singular); भूतकृदन्त (past participle) ‘मृत’ = dead person

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle)

• niyamāt: by rule/through prescribed observance
• niyamāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), पञ्चमी विभक्ति (Abl.), एकवचन (singular); हेत्वर्थे (ablative of cause: ‘due to/according to rule’)

• brahma-loke: in Brahma’s world
• brahma-loke: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Loc.), एकवचन (singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (‘ब्रह्मणः लोकः’)

• mahīyate: is honored/exalted
• mahīyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mah (√मह्, धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada), कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive): ‘is honored/glorified’

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the tīrtha-māhātmya taught in the Kurma Purana

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Brahmaloka
• Brahmā
• Piṇḍa-dāna
• Śrāddha
• Tīrtha

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it emphasizes dharmic causality (karma-phala) and post-mortem ascent; liberation (ātma-jñāna) is not stated here, but the verse frames ritual merit as a supportive ladder within the Purāṇic dharma system.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit yoga technique is taught in this verse; the focus is niyama (religious discipline/observance) expressed as pitṛ-kriyā—piṇḍa-dāna and allied śrāddha rites—presented as a dharma-practice with enduring results.

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

It does not directly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; consistent with the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, the verse situates ritual duty within a unified sacred order (niyama) where tīrtha, devotion, and dharma cooperate toward higher worlds.