Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 94

The Description of the Skanda Purāṇa’s Anukramaṇī

Index/Summary

Devanagari script

कपोलमोचनाख्यानं महाकालवनस्थितिः । तीर्थं कनखलेशस्य सर्वपापप्रणाशनम् ॥ ९४ ॥

Transliteration

kapolamocanākhyānaṃ mahākālavanasthitiḥ | tīrthaṃ kanakhaleśasya sarvapāpapraṇāśanam || 94 ||

Translation

Le récit de Kapolamocana, situé dans la forêt de Mahākāla : ce tīrtha sacré de Kanakhaleśa anéantit tous les péchés.

Word by Word

• kapola-mocana-ākhyānam: the narrative of ‘Kapola-mocana’
• kapola-mocana-ākhyānam: Karta (कर्ता/उद्देश्य-विषयः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapola (प्रातिपदिक) + mocana (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा) or Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुषः—‘kapolasya mocanam’ + ‘tasya ākhyānam’

• mahā-kāla-vana-sthitiḥ: the description of the state/setting of Mahākāla forest
• mahā-kāla-vana-sthitiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/उद्देश्य-विषयः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक) + sthiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुषः—‘mahākālasya vanam’ + ‘tasya sthitiḥ’

• tīrtham: a sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• tīrtham: Karta (कर्ता/उद्देश्य-विषयः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा) or Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• kanakhala-īśasya: of the Lord of Kanakhala
• kanakhala-īśasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanakhala (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘kanakhalasya īśaḥ’

• sarva-pāpa-praṇāśanam: the destroyer of all sins
• sarva-pāpa-praṇāśanam: Karta (कर्ता/उद्देश्य-विषयः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + praṇāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा) or Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुषः—‘sarvāṇi pāpāni’ + ‘teṣāṃ praṇāśanam’

Speaker

Narada (summarizing tīrtha-māhātmyas to the Sanatkumāra tradition)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla
• Kanakhaleśa
• Kapolamocana

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It elevates Kapolamocana at Kanakhaleśa (in the Mahākāla forest) as a tīrtha whose merit is described as destroying sins, emphasizing purification through sacred geography and dharmic pilgrimage.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By praising a Lord-associated tīrtha (Kanakhaleśa), the verse implies that approaching the deity through pilgrimage, reverence, and ritual bathing supports devotional orientation and inner purification.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It primarily reflects kalpa-style ritual practice (tīrtha-yātrā, snāna, and tīrtha-sevā) rather than technical Vedāṅgas like vyākaraṇa or jyotiṣa.