Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 18

Tīrtha-māhātmya and Rudra’s Samanvaya Teaching

Maṅkaṇaka Episode

Devanagari script

तीर्थं त्रैयम्बकं नाम सर्वदेवनमस्कृतम् / पूजयित्वा तत्र रुद्रं ज्योतिष्टोमफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

tīrthaṃ traiyambakaṃ nāma sarvadevanamaskṛtam / pūjayitvā tatra rudraṃ jyotiṣṭomaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

Ada sebuah tīrtha bernama Traiyambaka, yang dihormati dan disembah oleh semua dewa. Barang siapa memuja Rudra di sana, memperoleh pahala setara dengan korban Soma Jyotiṣṭoma.

Word by Word

• तीर्थम्: pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)

• त्रैयम्बकम्: (called) Traiyambaka
• त्रैयम्बकम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: traiyambaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.), विशेषण (of ‘तीर्थम्’)

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, नामनिर्देशक निपात (indeclinable meaning ‘by name’)

• सर्वदेवनमस्कृतम्: revered by all gods
• सर्वदेवनमस्कृतम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva-deva-namaskṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.), कृदन्त (कृत ‘namas’ + √kṛ), विशेषण (of ‘तीर्थम्’); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानां नमस्कृतम्)

• पूजयित्वा: having worshipped
• पूजयित्वा: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (पूज् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having worshipped’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• रुद्रम्: Rudra (Śiva)
• रुद्रम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

• ज्योतिष्टोमफलम्: the fruit of the Jyotiṣṭoma (sacrifice)
• ज्योतिष्टोमफलम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jyotiṣṭoma-phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ज्योतिष्टोमस्य फलम्)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (लभ् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन (3rd sg.)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the tīrtha-māhātmya in the Kurma Purana’s discourse to the sages

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Traiyambaka (Trimbakeśvara) Tīrtha
• Rudra (Shiva)
• Sarva-devas (all gods)
• Jyotiṣṭoma (Soma-yajña)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it frames liberation-oriented dharma through sacred place and Rudra-upāsanā, implying that devotion to Rudra at a consecrated tīrtha becomes a potent means toward the highest good traditionally linked with realizing the supreme reality.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes pūjā (ritual worship) as disciplined upāsanā—an applied practice aligned with Purāṇic yoga-dharma—where focused reverence to Rudra at a tīrtha functions like a concentrated sādhanā yielding great spiritual merit.

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

By presenting Rudra-worship as a central, highly efficacious dharmic act within the Kurma Purana’s narrative world, it supports the text’s inclusive Shaiva-Vaishnava harmony: devotion to Śiva is affirmed within a Purāṇa associated with Viṣṇu (Kūrma).