Shloka 76

Puruṣottama-māhātmya

The Greatness of Puruṣottama Kṣetra

Devanagari script

पुराणपुरुषं वेद्यं व्यक्ताव्यक्तं सनातनम् । पुरा पुराणं स्रष्टारं लोकतीर्थँ जगद्गुरुम् ॥ ७६ ॥

Transliteration

purāṇapuruṣaṃ vedyaṃ vyaktāvyaktaṃ sanātanam | purā purāṇaṃ sraṣṭāraṃ lokatīrthaṃ jagadgurum || 76 ||

Translation

Sachez le Puruṣa éternel des Purāṇa—à la fois manifesté et non manifesté—l’Ancien parmi les anciens : le Créateur, le tīrtha sacré de tous les mondes, et le Guru de l’univers.

Word by Word

• पुराण-पुरुषम्: the primeval Person
• पुराण-पुरुषम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (पुराणः पुरुषः)

• वेद्यम्: knowable
• वेद्यम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √विद् (धातु) → वेद्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (यत्), 'to be known'; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• व्यक्त-अव्यक्तम्: manifest and unmanifest
• व्यक्त-अव्यक्तम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + अव्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः (व्यक्तं च अव्यक्तं च)

• सनातनम्: eternal
• सनातनम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly/of old
• पुरा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• पुराणम्: ancient
• पुराणम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्रष्टारम्: the creator
• स्रष्टारम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्रष्टृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• लोक-तीर्थम्: the sacred ford/pilgrimage for the world
• लोक-तीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लोकस्य तीर्थम्)

• जगत्-गुरुम्: the teacher of the world
• जगत्-गुरुम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जगतः गुरुः)

Speaker

Narada (in dialogue with the Sanatkumara tradition; verse functions as a eulogy of the Supreme Lord)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"bhakti","secondary_rasa":"shanta","emotional_journey":"Cognitive exhortation (‘know’) → paradoxical profundity (manifest/unmanifest) → climactic magnification (ancient creator, world-tīrtha, jagad-guru)."}

Characters & Entities

• Purana-Purusha
• Jagadguru

FAQs

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

It identifies the Supreme as the ultimate object of knowledge: eternal, the source of creation, and the true “tīrtha” that carries beings across saṃsāra—greater than any external pilgrimage when realized inwardly.

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

By praising the Lord as Jagadguru and Lokatīrtha, it frames devotion as taking refuge in the Divine Person who guides and purifies; bhakti becomes the living connection to the One who is both accessible (manifest) and transcendent (unmanifest).

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

No specific Vedāṅga technique is taught in this verse; instead it gives the theological foundation that supports ritual and pilgrimage—seeing the deity as the core meaning of tīrtha, mantra, and worship.