Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3

Prayāga-māhātmya and Ṛṇa-pramocana-tīrtha — Māgha-snāna, Austerities, and Release from Debts

Devanagari script

गङ्गायमुनयोर्मध्ये कार्षाग्निं यस्तु साधयेत् / अहीनाङ्गो ऽप्यरोगश्च पञ्चेन्द्रियसमन्वितः

Transliteration

gaṅgāyamunayormadhye kārṣāgniṃ yastu sādhayet / ahīnāṅgo 'pyarogaśca pañcendriyasamanvitaḥ

Translation

ผู้ใดในแดนระหว่างคงคาและยมุนา บำเพ็ญตบะชื่อ ‘การ์ษาคนิ’ โดยถูกต้อง ผู้นั้นย่อมพ้นจากความบกพร่องแห่งกายและโรคภัย พร้อมด้วยกำลังแห่งอินทรีย์ทั้งห้าอย่างครบถ้วน

Word by Word

• गङ्गायमुनयोः: of the Ganga and Yamuna
• गङ्गायमुनयोः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा+यमुना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (गङ्गा च यमुना च)

• मध्ये: in the midst; between
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• कार्षाग्निम्: the kārṣa fire (a ritual fire)
• कार्षाग्निम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्ष+अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कार्षः अग्निः—विशेषाग्निः/ritual fire)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• साधयेत्: should accomplish; should perform
• साधयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √साध् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहीनाङ्गः: having no deficient limbs; whole-bodied
• अहीनाङ्गः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ+हीन+अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (यस्य अङ्गानि न हीनानि)

• अपि: even; also
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात (particle: also/even)

• अरोगः: free from disease
• अरोगः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ+रोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

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

• पञ्चेन्द्रियसमन्वितः: endowed with the five senses
• पञ्चेन्द्रियसमन्वितः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च+इन्द्रिय+समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कृदन्त (सम्+√इ ‘to go/possess’ → समन्वित ‘endowed’); समासः—तत्पुरुष (पञ्चेन्द्रियैः समन्वितः)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the Purāṇic teaching on tīrtha and tapas (within the Kurma Purana’s discourse tradition)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Yamunā

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it frames purification through tapas and sacred geography as preparing the embodied person—healthy, whole, sense-balanced—for higher realization (ātma-jñāna), rather than defining Ātman explicitly.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

It emphasizes tapas (austerity) as a yogic limb: disciplined practice that purifies the body and stabilizes the senses (pañcendriya-samanvita), aligning with the Kurma Purana’s broader stress on restraint and practice-oriented liberation.

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

This verse is primarily tīrtha–tapas focused; it supports the Purana’s synthesis by valuing ascetic discipline (central to Śaiva/Pāśupata ethos) within a Vaiṣṇava Purāṇa framework, presenting tapas as universally efficacious.