Shloka 29

Divine Abodes on the Mountains — A Sacred Survey of Jambūdvīpa

Kailāsa to Siddha Realms

Devanagari script

श्वेतोदरगिरेः शृङ्गे सुपर्णस्य महात्मनः / प्राकारगोपुरोपेतं मणितोरणमण्डितम्

Transliteration

śvetodaragireḥ śṛṅge suparṇasya mahātmanaḥ / prākāragopuropetaṃ maṇitoraṇamaṇḍitam

Translation

శ్వేతోదర గిరి శిఖరంపై మహాత్ముడైన సుపర్ణుడు (గరుడుడు) యొక్క నివాసం ఉండేది; అది ప్రాకార-గోపురాలతో కూడి, మణి తోరణాలతో అలంకృతమై ఉండేది।

Word by Word

• śvetodara-gireḥ: of (the) Śvetodara mountain
• śvetodara-gireḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śveta + udara + giri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (śvetodara-giri = ‘Śvetodara mountain’)

• śṛṅge: on the peak
• śṛṅge: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• suparṇasya: of Suparṇa (Garuḍa)
• suparṇasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suparṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled
• mahātmanaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier) suparṇasya

• prākāra-gopura-upetam: provided with ramparts and gateways
• prākāra-gopura-upetam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prākāra + gopura + upeta (प्रातिपदिक; upeta = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त from √i ‘to go’ with उप-)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम् (‘endowed/possessed’)

• maṇi-toraṇa-maṇḍitam: adorned with jeweled archways
• maṇi-toraṇa-maṇḍitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: maṇi + toraṇa + maṇḍita (प्रातिपदिक; maṇḍita = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त from √maṇḍ ‘to adorn’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) recounting the sacred geography and divine setting within the Kurma Purana’s narrative frame

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shringara

Characters & Entities

• Śvetodara-giri
• Suparṇa (Garuḍa)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse is primarily descriptive (sacred geography and a divine abode). Indirectly, it supports a Purāṇic teaching style where transcendent reality is approached through sanctified places and divine attendants—preparing the mind for higher inquiry rather than defining Ātman explicitly.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit yogic technique is stated. The implied practice is tīrtha-smaraṇa and dhyāna through visualization of a divine realm—using sacred imagery (ramparts, gopuras, jeweled toraṇas) to steady devotion and contemplation, which later supports disciplined Yoga in the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching arc.

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

The verse centers on Suparṇa (Garuḍa), a principal attendant of Viṣṇu, emphasizing Vaiṣṇava sacred space. In the Kurma Purana’s overall Shaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis, such descriptions function as complementary devotional gateways; unity is thematic across the text even when a given verse highlights one tradition’s iconography.