Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 3

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

Devanagari script

अन्यच्च तीर्थप्रवरं शङ्करस्यामितौजसः / महाभैरवमित्युक्तं महापातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

anyacca tīrthapravaraṃ śaṅkarasyāmitaujasaḥ / mahābhairavamityuktaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam

Translation

மேலும், அளவற்ற வல்லமை கொண்ட சங்கரருக்குரிய மற்றொரு சிறந்த தீர்த்தம் உள்ளது; அது ‘மஹாபைரவம்’ என அழைக்கப்படுகிறது; அது மகாபாதகங்களையும் அழிக்கும்.

Word by Word

• anyaḥ: another
• anyaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; (elliptic) ‘another’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• tīrthapravaram: an excellent tīrtha
• tīrthapravaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha-pravara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (उच्यते/ज्ञायते implied)

• śaṅkarasya: of Śaṅkara
• śaṅkarasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• amita-ojasaḥ: of immeasurable power
• amita-ojasaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: amita + ojas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (śaṅkarasya)

• mahābhairavam: Mahābhairava
• mahābhairavam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-bhairava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (नाम)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-प्रयोग (quotative)

• uktam: is called
• uktam: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मणि ‘is called/said’

• mahāpātakanāśanam: destroyer of great sins
• mahāpātakanāśanam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā-pātaka-nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (mahābhairavam)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing the sages/Indradyumna in a tīrtha-māhātmya context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Shankara (Shiva)
• Mahabhairava (Tirtha/Bhairava)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it highlights Śaṅkara’s salvific power through a tīrtha; in Kurma Purana’s synthesis, such purifying power ultimately points to the one supreme reality manifest as Īśvara who grants inner purification (antaḥśuddhi) leading toward Self-knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

This verse emphasizes tīrtha-sevā (pilgrimage and sacred observance) as a dharmic purifier rather than a technical meditation method; in Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava frame, such purification supports eligibility for Yoga—discipline, vows, japa, and contemplative worship of Īśvara.

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

Vishnu (as Lord Kūrma) praises a Śaiva tīrtha as supremely purifying, reflecting the Purana’s non-sectarian unity: devotion to Śaṅkara’s sacred site is affirmed within a Vaishnava narration, presenting both as harmonious expressions of the one divine order.