Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 30

Prayāga-māhātmya — The Greatness of Prayāga and the Discipline of Pilgrimage

Devanagari script

कीर्तनान्मुच्यते पापाद् दृष्ट्वा भद्राणि पश्यति / तथोपस्पृश्य राजेन्द्र स्वर्गलोके महीयते

Transliteration

kīrtanānmucyate pāpād dṛṣṭvā bhadrāṇi paśyati / tathopaspṛśya rājendra svargaloke mahīyate

Translation

Dengan kīrtana seseorang terbebas dari dosa; dengan darśana ia melihat keberkahan. Demikian pula, wahai raja utama, setelah menyentuh air suci untuk penyucian, ia dimuliakan di surga.

Word by Word

• kīrtanāt: from (the act of) praising/reciting
• kīrtanāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kīrtana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; Ablative singular

• mucyate: is freed
• mucyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• pāpāt: from sin
• pāpāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; Ablative singular

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भाव (gerund/absolutive); ‘having seen’

• bhadrāṇi: auspicious things
• bhadrāṇi: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; Accusative plural

• paśyati: sees
• paśyati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada

• tathā: thus/likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• upaspṛśya: having performed ablution/touched (water)
• upaspṛśya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa + spṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (gerund) with upasarga ‘upa’; ‘having touched/abluted’ (ritual touching water)

• rājendra: O king of kings
• rājendra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘राज्ञाम् इन्द्रः’); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; Vocative singular

• svarga-loke: in the heavenly world
• svarga-loke: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘स्वर्गस्य लोकः’); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; Locative singular

• mahīyate: is honored
• mahīyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mah (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive) / आत्मनेपद; ‘is honored/glorified’

Speaker

Sūta (narrating the Purāṇic teaching in a tīrtha-dharma context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Svarga
• kīrtana
• upaspṛśya (ācamana)
• rājendra (address to a king)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it teaches that inner purification arises through sattva-increasing practices—kīrtana, darśana, and śauca—by which the mind becomes fit to recognize higher truth; liberation here is framed as freedom from pāpa that obstructs Self-knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Bhakti-oriented disciplines supportive of yoga: kīrtana (devotional recitation), darśana (reverent seeing of the sacred), and upaspṛśya/ācamana (ritual purity). In Kurma Purana’s synthesis, these stabilize the mind and prepare one for deeper yogic absorption.

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

By emphasizing universally accepted purifying means (kīrtana, darśana, śauca) rather than sectarian markers, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative Shaiva–Vaishnava ethos: devotion and purity are praised as common gateways to auspiciousness and higher worlds.