Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 22

Kṛṣṇa’s Departure, Kali-yuga Dharma, and the Prohibition of Śiva-Nindā

Hari–Hara Samanvaya

Devanagari script

यः पठेच्छृणुयाद् वापि वंशानां कथनं शुभम् / सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तः स्वर्गलोके महीयते

Transliteration

yaḥ paṭhecchṛṇuyād vāpi vaṃśānāṃ kathanaṃ śubham / sarvapāpavinirmuktaḥ svargaloke mahīyate

Translation

ผู้ใดสวดอ่านหรือแม้เพียงสดับฟังคำบอกเล่าอันเป็นมงคลแห่งวงศ์สกุลทั้งหลายนี้ ผู้นั้นย่อมพ้นจากบาปทั้งปวง และได้รับการยกย่องในสวรรค์โลก

Word by Word

• yaḥ: whoever
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; relative pronoun

• paṭhet: may read/recite
• paṭhet: Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paṭh (धातु)
• Form: Vidhiliṅ-lakāra (Optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; Parasmaipada

• śṛṇuyāt: may hear
• śṛṇuyāt: Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: Vidhiliṅ-lakāra (Optative), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; Parasmaipada

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Vikalpa-nipāta (disjunctive particle)

• api: also/even
• api: Samuccaya/Avadhāraṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya/Avadhāraṇa-nipāta (particle: also/even)

• vaṃśānām: of lineages
• vaṃśānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Bahuvacana

• kathanam: narration
• kathanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; agrees with kathanam

• sarva-pāpa-vinirmuktaḥ: freed from all sins
• sarva-pāpa-vinirmuktaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + vi-nis-√muc (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; compound: sarvapāpa (Tatpuruṣa: all sins) + vinirmukta (kta-ppp: freed) → ‘freed from all sins’

• svarga-loke: in heaven-world
• svarga-loke: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī (Loc), Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa: svargasya lokaḥ

• mahīyate: is honored/glorified
• mahīyate: Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √mah (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; Ātmanepada; passive-like sense ‘is honored/glorified’

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa / Sūta-style phalaśruti framing within the Kurma Purana’s discourse)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Vaṃśa (dynastic lineages)
• Svarga (heaven)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it emphasizes purification (pāpa-kṣaya) through śravaṇa/pāṭha of sacred tradition, which in the Kurma Purana supports fitness for higher knowledge of Ātman and Īśvara taught elsewhere (e.g., Ishvara Gita themes).

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Not a technique like prāṇāyāma or dhyāna; it highlights śravaṇa (devotional listening) and pāṭha (recitation) as purifying disciplines—supportive practices that complement Kurma Purana’s broader Yoga-shāstra and Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā.

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

This verse is a general phalaśruti and does not explicitly name Śiva or Viṣṇu; it aligns with the Purana’s synthetic approach by presenting Purāṇic hearing/recitation as universally meritorious across Shaiva-Vaishnava devotional contexts.