Shloka 66

Puruṣottama-māhātmya

The Greatness of Puruṣottama Kṣetra

Devanagari script

दक्षिणस्योदधेस्तीरे न्यग्रोधो यत्र तिष्ठति । यस्तु कल्पे समुत्पन्ने महदुल्कानिबर्हणे ॥ ६६ ॥

Transliteration

dakṣiṇasyodadhestīre nyagrodho yatra tiṣṭhati | yastu kalpe samutpanne mahadulkānibarhaṇe || 66 ||

Translation

Sur la rive de l’océan du Sud se dresse un nyagrodha, le banian. C’est l’arbre qui naquit dans un kalpa ancien, lorsque fut détruit et éteint un grand ulkā—un météore embrasé.

Word by Word

• dakṣiṇasya: of the southern
• dakṣiṇasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; qualifies 'udadheḥ' (southern ocean)

• udadheḥ: of the ocean
• udadheḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th), Singular

• tīre: on the shore
• tīre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• nyagrodhaḥ: a banyan tree
• nyagrodhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nyagrodha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Relative adverb (देशवाचक-अव्यय)

• tiṣṭhati: stands; remains
• tiṣṭhati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person, Singular; parasmaipada

• yaḥ: which; who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; relative pronoun (refers to nyagrodhaḥ)

• tu: indeed; but
• tu: Sambandha (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (वाक्य-निपात) indicating emphasis/contrast

• kalpe: in (a) kalpa
• kalpe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular

• samutpanne: arisen; produced
• samutpanne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + ut + panna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Past active participle (क्तवतु-सम्भव/ppp used adjectivally), Locative (7th), Singular, Masculine/Neuter; from √pad with sam+ut; agrees with 'kalpe' (locative absolute-like)

• mahat-ulkā-nibarhaṇe: in the (kalpa) of great meteor-like destruction
• mahat-ulkā-nibarhaṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat + ulkā + nibarhaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular; compound used as epithet of 'kalpe': 'in the kalpa characterized by great meteor/fiery destruction' (determinative)

Speaker

Narada (describing a sacred location in Uttara-Bhaga tirtha-mahatmya style)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Southern Ocean (Dakṣiṇodadhi)
• Nyagrodha (banyan tree)

FAQs

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

It marks a specific sacred landmark—a nyagrodha on the southern sea—whose antiquity is validated by kalpa-time, implying a tirtha whose sanctity transcends ordinary historical time.

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

By pointing to a sanctified place remembered across aeons, the text supports pilgrimage and remembrance as aids to bhakti—devotion is strengthened through contact with sites associated with divine, cosmic events.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

The verse uses puranic cosmological timekeeping (kalpa) and celestial phenomenon terminology (ulkā), aligning with Jyotiṣa-style attention to omens and temporal cycles, though it is presented in a tirtha-mahatmya narrative.