Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 16

Ācamana-vidhi, Śauca, and Conduct Rules for Study, Eating, and Bodily Functions

Devanagari script

अङ्गुष्ठमूलान्तरतो रेखायां ब्राह्ममुच्यते / अन्तराङ्गुष्ठदेशिन्यो पितॄणां तीर्थमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

aṅguṣṭhamūlāntarato rekhāyāṃ brāhmamucyate / antarāṅguṣṭhadeśinyo pitṝṇāṃ tīrthamuttamam

Translation

ਅੰਗੂਠੇ ਦੇ ਮੂਲ ਦੇ ਅੰਦਰਲੀ ਰੇਖਾ ਨੂੰ ‘ਬ੍ਰਹਮ-ਤੀਰਥ’ ਕਿਹਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਅਤੇ ਅੰਗੂਠੇ ਤੇ ਤਰਜਨੀ ਦੇ ਵਿਚਕਾਰਲਾ ਭਾਗ ਪਿਤਰਾਂ ਲਈ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਉੱਤਮ ਤੀਰਥ ਮੰਨਿਆ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• अङ्गुष्ठमूलान्तरतः: from the inner part at the base of the thumb
• अङ्गुष्ठमूलान्तरतः: अधिकरण/देश (Location/Region)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अङ्गुष्ठ-मूल-अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb) ‘-तः’; तत्पुरुष-समास (अङ्गुष्ठस्य मूलस्य अन्तरम्)

• रेखायाम्: in the line/crease
• रेखायाम्: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• ब्राह्मम्: (the) brāhma [tīrtha]
• ब्राह्मम्: कर्ता/प्रातिपदिकार्थ (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम (tīrtha-name)

• उच्यते: is said/called
• उच्यते: क्रिया (Kriyā/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• अन्तराङ्गुष्ठदेशिन्यः: the inner thumb-regions/lines
• अन्तराङ्गुष्ठदेशिन्यः: कर्ता (Kartā/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर-अङ्गुष्ठ-देशिनी (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (अन्तरे अङ्गुष्ठस्य देशिन्यः)

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: सम्बन्ध (Ṣaṣṭhī/Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• तीर्थम्: tīrtha (purificatory spot)
• तीर्थम्: कर्ता/प्रातिपदिकार्थ (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying तीर्थम्)

Speaker

Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing sages on dharma and tīrtha-prayoga

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Brahma-tīrtha
• Pitṛs

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it emphasizes dharmic precision in ritual action (karma) as a support for inner purity; in the Kūrma Purāṇa’s synthesis, such disciplined karma can become an aid toward steadiness of mind that culminates in Self-knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

This verse is primarily karma-kāṇḍa oriented (tīrtha-prayoga on the hand) rather than meditation; however, it aligns with yogic discipline by training attentiveness, purity, and correct procedure—foundational virtues that the text later connects to higher sādhana.

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

Not explicitly; yet it reflects the Purāṇa’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis by presenting orthodox ritual dharma as universally valid groundwork for liberation, compatible with both Vaiṣṇava devotion and Śaiva (including Pāśupata) sādhanā.