Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

तीर्थं कनखलं पुण्यं महापातकनाशनम् / यत्र देवेन रुद्रेण यज्ञो दक्षस्य नाशितः

Transliteration

tīrthaṃ kanakhalaṃ puṇyaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam / yatra devena rudreṇa yajño dakṣasya nāśitaḥ

Translation

Kanakhala adalah tīrtha yang suci, penuh kebajikan, dan pemusnah dosa besar—di sanalah dewa Rudra menghancurkan yajña milik Dakṣa.

Word by Word

• तीर्थम्: pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कनखलम्: Kanakhala
• कनखलम्: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कनखल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; स्थाननाम (proper place-name)

• पुण्यम्: holy/meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• महापातक-नाशनम्: destroyer of great sins
• महापातक-नाशनम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (mahāpātakānāṃ nāśanam)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक देशवाचक (relative locative adverb: ‘where’)

• देवेन: by the god
• देवेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन

• रुद्रेण: by Rudra (Śiva)
• रुद्रेण: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• यज्ञः: sacrifice
• यज्ञः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दक्षस्य: of Dakṣa
• दक्षस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• नाशितः: was destroyed
• नाशितः: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (was destroyed)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-māhātmya discourse (sage-to-sage style Purāṇic narration)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Kanakhala
• Rudra (Shiva)
• Daksha
• Yajna

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it highlights the purifying power of sacred space (tīrtha) and divine grace; the deeper Purāṇic teaching is that inner purification (adhyātma-śuddhi) mirrors outer pilgrimage, preparing one for Self-knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is taught in this verse; it supports the preparatory limb of sādhana—purification through tīrtha-sevā, śraddhā, and remembrance of Rudra’s līlā—often treated as supportive to mantra, dhyāna, and Pāśupata-oriented discipline elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.

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

By centering Rudra as the decisive divine agent at a major sacred site, it reinforces the Kurma Purana’s inclusive theology in which devotion to Śiva (Rudra) is fully orthodox and harmonized with Vaiṣṇava Purāṇic authority.