Shloka 15

Narmadā–Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Sequence of Sacred Fords and Their Fruits

Devanagari script

ऋषितीर्थं ततो गत्वा सर्वपापहरं नृणाम् / स्नातमात्रो नरस्तत्र शिवलोके महीयते

Transliteration

ṛṣitīrthaṃ tato gatvā sarvapāpaharaṃ nṛṇām / snātamātro narastatra śivaloke mahīyate

Translation

പിന്നീട് മനുഷ്യരുടെ എല്ലാ പാപങ്ങളും ഹരിക്കുന്ന ‘ഋഷിതീർത്ഥം’ എന്ന സ്ഥലത്തേക്ക് പോകണം. അവിടെ സ്നാനം മാത്രം ചെയ്താലും മനുഷ്യൻ ശിവലോകത്തിൽ മഹിമപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ṛṣi-tīrtham: the Ṛṣi-tīrtha
• ṛṣi-tīrtham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (accusative), Eka-vacana; tatpuruṣa: 'sages’ tīrtha'

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: Ktvā-pratyaya (क्त्वा), gerund/absolutive (अव्ययकृदन्त), 'having gone'

• sarva-pāpa-haram: removing all sins
• sarva-pāpa-haram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + pāpa + hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā, Eka-vacana; agrees with tīrtham; tatpuruṣa: 'remover of all sins'

• nṛṇām: of men
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ṣaṣṭhī (genitive/षष्ठी), Bahu-vacana (plural/बहुवचन)

• snāta-mātraḥ: having merely bathed
• snāta-mātraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: snāta (स्ना धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Prathamā (nominative), Eka-vacana; tatpuruṣa: 'only-bathed' i.e., 'merely by bathing'; agrees with naraḥ

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Prathamā, Eka-vacana

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb of place

• śiva-loke: in Śiva’s world
• śiva-loke: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Saptamī (locative/सप्तमी), Eka-vacana; tatpuruṣa: 'in Śiva’s world'

• mahīyate: is honored/glorified
• mahīyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mah (मह् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्, present), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Eka-vacana; passive/intransitive sense 'is honored'

Speaker

Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing King Indradyumna (tīrtha-māhātmya context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Kūrma (Vishnu)
• Indradyumna
• Ṛṣi-tīrtha
• Śiva
• Śiva-loka

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it stresses purification (pāpa-kṣaya) and sacred contact (tīrtha-snānā) as supports for inner fitness (adhikāra) for higher realization; the verse itself focuses on karmic purification and post-mortem exaltation in Śiva-loka rather than defining Ātman.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

A preparatory discipline: tīrtha-snāna as a purificatory observance (śauca/saṃskāra-like practice) that supports dharma and later yogic pursuits; the emphasis is on ritual purity and merit as groundwork for deeper sādhana (including Pāśupata-oriented devotion in the Purāṇic frame).

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

Vishnu (as Lord Kūrma) teaches a practice whose fruit is honor in Śiva’s realm, reflecting the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava harmony: devotion and merit upheld by one deity culminate in the grace/attainment associated with the other.