Shloka 8

Vārāṇasī (Avimukta) Māhātmya and the Catalogue of Guhya-Tīrthas

Devanagari script

पर्वताख्यं महागुह्यं मणिकर्णमनुत्तमम् / घटोत्कचं तीर्थवरं श्रीतीर्थं च पितामहम्

Transliteration

parvatākhyaṃ mahāguhyaṃ maṇikarṇamanuttamam / ghaṭotkacaṃ tīrthavaraṃ śrītīrthaṃ ca pitāmaham

Translation

มีตีรถะชื่อปรวตาฆยะ ตีรถะมหาคุหยะอันลี้ลับยิ่ง มณิกรรณะอันไร้เทียมทาน ฆโฏตฺกจะผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่ตีรถะ และยังมีศรี-ตีรถะกับปิตามหะ-ตีรถะด้วย

Word by Word

• पर्वताख्यम्: named ‘Parvata’
• पर्वताख्यम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर्वत + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पर्वतस्य आख्या यस्य तत्) विशेषणम्/नामधेयम्

• महागुह्यम्: very secret
• महागुह्यम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + गुह्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महच्च तत् गुह्यम्)

• मणिकर्णम्: Maṇikarṇa (a tīrtha-name)
• मणिकर्णम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणि + कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (नामधेय), द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मणेः कर्णः)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• घटोत्कचम्: Ghaṭotkaca (a tīrtha-name)
• घटोत्कचम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घट + उत्कच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (नामधेय), द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (घटेन उत्कचः/घटात् उत्कचः इति व्युत्पत्त्यनुसारेण)

• तीर्थवरम्: the best tīrtha
• तीर्थवरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (वरं तीर्थम्)

• श्रीतीर्थम्: the Śrī tīrtha
• श्रीतीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्रियाः तीर्थम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• पितामहम्: Pitāmaha (Brahmā; a tīrtha-name)
• पितामहम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator/teacher voice within the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-mahatmya discourse (contextually aligned with Lord Kurma’s instruction to sages/royal listener in Purva-bhaga).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Parvatākhya Tirtha
• Mahāguhya Tirtha
• Maṇikarṇa Tirtha
• Ghaṭotkaca Tirtha
• Śrītīrtha
• Pitāmaha (Brahmā-associated) Tirtha

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames purification through tīrtha-sevana (pilgrimage and sacred observance), which the Kurma Purana treats as a supportive means for inner clarity that later enables knowledge of the Self.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit yogic technique is stated; the implied discipline is tīrtha-yātrā and tīrtha-snāna as preparatory sādhana—purifying conduct that complements the Kurma Purana’s broader yogic and dharma teachings (including later Pāśupata-oriented themes).

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

By praising tīrthas without sectarian exclusivity, the verse supports the Purana’s synthetic sacred landscape—where devotion and merit flow through shared holy places, consistent with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava harmony.