Shloka 23

Prayāga-māhātmya — The Greatness of Prayāga and the Discipline of Pilgrimage

Devanagari script

षष्टिर्धनुः सहस्त्राणि यानि रक्षन्ति जाह्नवीम् / यमुनां रक्षति सदा सविता सप्तवाहनः

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭirdhanuḥ sahastrāṇi yāni rakṣanti jāhnavīm / yamunāṃ rakṣati sadā savitā saptavāhanaḥ

Translation

అరవై వేల ధనుర్ధరులు సదా జాహ్నవీ (గంగా)ను కాపాడుదురు. ఏడు అశ్వముల రథారూఢుడైన సవితా (సూర్యదేవుడు) నిత్యము యమునను రక్షించును.

Word by Word

• षष्टिः: sixty
• षष्टिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; with 'धनुः सहस्त्राणि')
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्टि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); संख्या (cardinal) used with following measure-word

• धनुः: a bow-length (measure)
• धनुः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; measure qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); परिमाणवाचक (measure-word)

• सहस्त्राणि: thousands
• सहस्त्राणि: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; with implied 'are')
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• यानि: which
• यानि: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural) — relative pronoun referring to 'सहस्त्राणि'

• रक्षन्ति: protect
• रक्षन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Finite verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• जाह्नवीम्: the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• जाह्नवीम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• यमुनाम्: Yamunā
• यमुनाम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमुना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• रक्षति: protects
• रक्षति: Kriya (क्रिया/Finite verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time/frequency)

• सविता: Savitṛ (the Sun)
• सविता: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सवितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सप्त-वाहनः: having seven steeds
• सप्त-वाहनः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + वाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहि — 'यस्यानि वाहनानि सप्त' (he whose vehicle(s) are seven), 'सविता' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) relaying Purāṇic sacred geography and tīrtha-mahātmya to the sages

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• Yamunā
• Savitṛ (Sun-god)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by portraying rivers as sustained by cosmic order and divine guardianship, the verse points to an underlying governing principle (Īśvara/ṛta) that upholds the world—within which the Self is contemplated as aligned with dharma and cosmic harmony.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse itself is tīrtha-oriented rather than instructional yoga; in Kurma Purana usage, such descriptions support tīrtha-sevā and smaraṇa (contemplative recollection) as preparatory disciplines—purifying mind and intention before higher practices taught elsewhere (e.g., Pāśupata-oriented devotion and inner restraint).

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

This specific verse does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it reflects the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis by presenting a unified sacred cosmos where multiple deities function as expressions of one dharmic order, supporting pilgrimage, purity, and spiritual pursuit.