Shloka 4

Avimukta-Māhātmya — Vyāsa in Vārāṇasī and Śiva’s Secret Teaching of Liberation

Devanagari script

पप्रच्छुः प्रणताः सर्वे कथाः पापविनाशनीः / महादेवाश्रयाः पुण्या मोक्षधर्मान् सनातनान्

Transliteration

papracchuḥ praṇatāḥ sarve kathāḥ pāpavināśanīḥ / mahādevāśrayāḥ puṇyā mokṣadharmān sanātanān

Translation

Tous, inclinés avec vénération, interrogèrent sur les récits sacrés qui anéantissent le péché : enseignements saints, fondés en Mahādeva, les principes éternels du dharma de la délivrance (mokṣa-dharma).

Word by Word

• पप्रच्छुः: asked
• पप्रच्छुः: Kriya (क्रिया/Finite verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prach (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• प्रणताः: bowed down
• प्रणताः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject, participial qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-nam (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वे इति विशेषण (qualifier)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); मुनयः (पूर्वश्लोक) इत्यस्य अनुवृत्ति (understood subject)

• कथाः: stories/discourses
• कथाः: Karma (कर्म/Object of asking)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पापविनाशनीः: sin-destroying
• पापविनाशनीः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa + vināśanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural); कथाः इति विशेषण

• महादेवाश्रयाः: having Mahādeva as refuge/centered on Mahādeva
• महादेवाश्रयाः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahādeva + āśraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural); कथाः इति विशेषण

• पुण्याः: holy/meritorious
• पुण्याः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural); कथाः इति विशेषण

• मोक्षधर्मान्: doctrines of liberation
• मोक्षधर्मान्: Karma (कर्म/Object of asking; in apposition to कथाः as topics)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सनातनान्: eternal
• सनातनान्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sanātana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural); मोक्षधर्मान् इति विशेषण

Speaker

Sages/assembled devotees (addressing the main narrator, traditionally Lord Kūrma or the transmitting sage in the Kurma Purana dialogue frame)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Mahadeva (Shiva)
• Moksha-dharma

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it points seekers toward mokṣa-dharma—timeless liberating knowledge and discipline—presented as holy teachings rooted in Mahādeva, implying that liberation comes through realizing the eternal spiritual principle beyond sin and merit.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse itself highlights the orientation: refuge in Mahādeva and inquiry into mokṣa-dharma. In Kurma Purana context, this typically opens into Pāśupata-leaning disciplines—devotion, austerity, ethical restraints, and contemplative knowledge aimed at liberation.

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

By framing liberating teaching as “Mahādeva-grounded” within a Purana that is also Vaishnava in its narration frame, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthetic stance: the highest mokṣa-teaching is honored through Śiva while transmitted within a broader Shiva–Vishnu harmony.