Shloka 5
Narmadā-māhātmya: Amarakāṇṭaka, Jāleśvara, Kapilā–Viśalyakaraṇī, and the Supreme Purifying Power of Darśana
मार्कण्डेय उवाच नर्मदा सरितां श्रेष्ठा रुद्रदेहाद् विनिः सृता / तारयेत् सर्वभूतानि स्थावराणि चराणि च
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca narmadā saritāṃ śreṣṭhā rudradehād viniḥ sṛtā / tārayet sarvabhūtāni sthāvarāṇi carāṇi ca
Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: “Antara segala sungai, Narmadā adalah yang paling utama; ia memancar dari tubuh Rudra sendiri. Ia menyeberangkan semua makhluk—yang tidak bergerak dan yang bergerak.”
Sage Mārkaṇḍeya
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
Indirectly: it presents liberation (tāraṇa, “crossing over”) as possible through contact with a divinely sourced tīrtha, implying that grace and purification remove coverings over the Self rather than “creating” liberation anew.
This verse emphasizes tīrtha-sevā—pilgrimage, reverent bathing, and purification—as supportive disciplines that prepare the practitioner for higher Yoga (such as Pāśupata-oriented devotion and contemplation found elsewhere in the Kurma Purana).
By grounding salvific power in a Śaiva source (Rudra’s body) within a Purāṇic text that also teaches Vaiṣṇava theology, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: liberation is upheld through shared divine agency rather than sectarian opposition.