Shloka 19

Devanagari script

वाराणस्यां कुरुक्षेत्रे प्रयागे पुष्करे तथा । गंगासमुद्रतीरे च नैमिषेऽमरकण्टके

Transliteration

vārāṇasyāṃ kurukṣetre prayāge puṣkare tathā | gaṃgāsamudratīre ca naimiṣe'marakaṇṭake

Translation

வாரணாசி, குருக்ஷேத்திரம், பிரயாகம், அதுபோல புஷ்கரம்; கங்கை கடலுடன் சங்கமிக்கும் கரை, நைமிஷம் மற்றும் அமரகண்டகம்—இவை மிகப் புனிதமான தீர்த்தத் தலங்கள்.

Word by Word

• वाराणस्याम्: in Varanasi
• वाराणस्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण/Locative), एकवचन

• कुरुक्षेत्रे: in Kurukshetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुक्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कुरूणां क्षेत्रम्)

• प्रयागे: in Prayaga
• प्रयागे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• पुष्करे: in Pushkara
• पुष्करे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• तथा: and also/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—समुच्चय/तुल्यतासूचक (adverb/conjunctive particle)

• गङ्गासमुद्रतीरे: on the bank/shore of the Ganga and the sea
• गङ्गासमुद्रतीरे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + समुद्र + तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः समुद्रस्य तीरम् / गङ्गा-समुद्र-तीरम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—समुच्चय (conjunction)

• नैमिषे: in Naimisha
• नैमिषे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैमिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• अमरकण्टके: in Amarakantaka
• अमरकण्टके: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमरकण्टक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha

Sthala Purana: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is celebrated as Śiva’s own city where liberation is granted; the verse lists major tīrthas as supremely sanctifying, with Kāśī foremost in Śaiva imagination.

Significance: Tīrtha-saṅgraha: visiting/remembering these kṣetras is said to purify and orient the paśu toward Śiva; Kāśī especially is linked with mokṣa-bestowal.

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse enumerates renowned tīrthas, emphasizing that proximity to such sanctified spaces supports purification of karma and steadies the mind toward devotion to Pati (Śiva), which is central to liberation-oriented Shaiva practice.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

These kṣetras are traditionally associated with intensified Saguna worship—temples, liṅga-darśana, and vrata—where devotion becomes more focused; the tīrtha setting is treated as an aid that turns the seeker toward Śiva’s grace.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Undertake tīrtha-yātrā with Śiva-bhakti: bathe (snāna) at the tīrtha, perform japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and offer simple pūjā to a liṅga with a pure, restrained mind.