Shloka 19

Tīrtha-Māhātmya and the Discipline of Pilgrimage (Tīrtha-sevā) within Prāyaścitta

Devanagari script

एते प्राधान्यतः प्रोक्ता देशाः पापहरा नृणाम् / गत्वा संक्षालयेत् पापं जन्मान्तरशतैः कृतम्

Transliteration

ete prādhānyataḥ proktā deśāḥ pāpaharā nṛṇām / gatvā saṃkṣālayet pāpaṃ janmāntaraśataiḥ kṛtam

Translation

இவ்விடங்கள் சுருக்கமாகவும் முதன்மையாகவும் மனிதரின் பாவங்களை அகற்றுவன எனக் கூறப்பட்டன. அங்கு சென்றால் நூறு பிறவிகளில் செய்த பாவங்களும் கழுவி நீங்கும்.

Word by Word

• एते: these
• एते: Karta (कर्ता/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (Nom pl), सर्वनाम

• प्राधान्यतः: chiefly; primarily
• प्राधान्यतः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prādhānyatas (अव्यय; प्राधान्य)
• Form: अव्यय, तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb: chiefly)

• प्रोक्ता: declared; stated
• प्रोक्ता: Kriya (क्रिया—भूतकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग प्रथमा बहुवचन (Nom pl)

• देशाः: places; regions
• देशाः: Karta (कर्ता/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (Nom pl)

• पापहराः: sin-removing
• पापहराः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa-hara (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + हर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (Nom pl), विशेषण

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचन (Gen pl)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya (क्रिया—पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): having gone

• संक्षालयेत्: should wash away
• संक्षालयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṣāl (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; causative sense with सं- (should wash away)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc sg)

• जन्मान्तरशतैः: by hundreds of other births
• जन्मान्तरशतैः: Karana/Hetu (करण/हेतु—measure: by hundreds of other births)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janma-antara-śata (प्रातिपदिक; जन्म + अन्तर + शत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचन (Instr pl)

• कृतम्: done; committed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc sg), पापम् इति विशेषणभावेन

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing Indradyumna and the sages on tirtha-mahima

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Tirtha (sacred regions)
• Pāpa (sin/demerit)
• Kurma (Vishnu)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it frames purification as a prerequisite for higher knowledge—by reducing pāpa through dharmic means (like tirtha-yātrā), the mind becomes fit for Atman-realization taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse highlights external purification through tirtha-yātrā (pilgrimage). In Kurma Purana’s broader yoga-dharma vision, such cleansing supports inner disciplines—japa, dhyāna, and self-restraint—central to Pāśupata-oriented practice.

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

By presenting a universal dharmic mechanism of purification (tirthas that remove sin) without sectarian limitation, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis: sacred geography and dharma serve devotion to the one Supreme expressed as both Hari and Hara.