Shloka 7

Tīrtha-Māhātmya and the Discipline of Pilgrimage (Tīrtha-sevā) within Prāyaścitta

Devanagari script

कायावरोहणं नाम महादेवालयं शुभम् / यत्र माहेश्वरा धर्मा मुनिभिः संप्रवर्तिताः

Transliteration

kāyāvarohaṇaṃ nāma mahādevālayaṃ śubham / yatra māheśvarā dharmā munibhiḥ saṃpravartitāḥ

Translation

มีสถานศักดิ์สิทธิ์ของมหาเทวะชื่อ ‘กายาวโรหณะ’ อันเป็นมงคล ณ ที่นั้นเหล่ามุนีได้เริ่มสืบต่อและสถาปนาธรรมวัตรแบบมเหศวร

Word by Word

• kāya-avarohaṇam: (the place called) ‘Descent of the body’
• kāya-avarohaṇam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāya + avarohaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nom.), एकवचन (singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (‘कायस्य अवरोहणम्’)

• nāma: by name/called
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय प्रयोगः (indeclinable usage), नामनिर्देशे निपातः (‘called/named’)

• mahā-deva-ālayam: the abode/temple of Mahādeva
• mahā-deva-ālayam: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + deva + ālaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (‘महादेवस्य आलयः’)

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (singular); विशेषणम्

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सम्बन्धबोधक/देशवाचक (relative locative adverb: ‘where’)

• māheśvarāḥ: Maheśvara-related (Śaiva)
• māheśvarāḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: māheśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nom.), बहुवचन (plural); विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘dharmāḥ’)

• dharmāḥ: duties/laws/practices
• dharmāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nom.), बहुवचन (plural)

• munibhiḥ: by sages
• munibhiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया विभक्ति (Instr.), बहुवचन (plural)

• saṃpravartitāḥ: were established/set forth
• saṃpravartitāḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ + pra + vṛt (√वृत्/√वृत्त्, धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; कर्मणि भावः: ‘set in motion/established’ (agreeing with dharmāḥ)

Speaker

Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing the sages (Kurma Purana narration context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Kāyāvarohaṇa (tīrtha/śiva-kṣetra)
• Munis (sages)
• Māheśvara Dharma

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By praising a Śiva-kṣetra where Māheśvara dharma is established, the verse points to dharma as a lived discipline that leads the seeker toward realization of the highest principle—Śiva as the auspicious, supreme reality—without contradicting the Purāṇic vision of one ultimate truth approached through multiple divine forms.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse does not list techniques directly, but it foregrounds “Māheśvara dharmas”—Śaiva observances traditionally linked with purification, vows, and disciplined conduct that support yoga-sādhana (inner restraint, sacred living, and devotion) in a tīrtha setting.

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

With Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) describing Mahādeva’s holy abode as supremely auspicious, the text models reverence across sectarian lines—presenting Śiva-worship and Śaiva dharma as fully authoritative within a broader, unified Purāṇic theology.