Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 49

Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Mahālaya, Kedāra, Rivers and Fords, and Devadāru Forest

Akṣaya-Karma Doctrine

Devanagari script

देवदारुवनं पुण्यं सिद्धगन्धर्वसेवितम् / महादेवेन देवेन तत्र दत्तं महद् वरं

Transliteration

devadāruvanaṃ puṇyaṃ siddhagandharvasevitam / mahādevena devena tatra dattaṃ mahad varaṃ

Translation

Ang Gubat ng Deodar ay banal at mapagpala, dinadalaw at pinaglilingkuran ng mga Siddha at Gandharva. Doon, ang dakilang Diyos na si Mahādeva ay nagkaloob ng isang makapangyarihang biyaya.

Word by Word

• devadāru-vanam: the deodar forest
• devadāru-vanam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devadāru + vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (devadārūṇāṃ vanam / devadāru-vana); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• puṇyam: holy; meritorious
• puṇyam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• siddha-gandharva-sevitam: frequented by Siddhas and Gandharvas
• siddha-gandharva-sevitam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: siddha + gandharva + sevita (प्रातिपदिक; √sev धातु-आधारित)
• Form: समासः (siddhāś ca gandharvāś ca) इति द्वन्द्व-पूर्वपद + क्त-प्रत्यय कृदन्त (sevita = served/frequented); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• mahādevena: by Mahādeva
• mahādevena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular)

• devena: by the god
• devena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• dattam: given; granted
• dattam: Kriyā (क्रिया/भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• mahat: great
• mahat: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• varam: boon
• varam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic discourse, traditionally Sūta/Vyāsa lineage)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Devadaru-vana
• Mahadeva (Shiva)
• Siddhas
• Gandharvas

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly, it frames sacred space as charged with divine presence: Mahādeva’s boon-making power in a tīrtha-like forest implies that the Supreme is accessible through consecrated loci where purity (puṇya) and higher beings (Siddhas) converge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse itself does not prescribe a technique, but the mention of Siddhas signals accomplished yogins; in Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva context, such holy forests are portrayed as conducive to tapas, japa, and dhyāna leading toward siddhi and grace (vara).

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

By presenting Mahādeva as the bestower of grace within a Purāṇic narrative that also upholds Vishnu/Kūrma elsewhere, it supports the Kurma Purana’s harmonizing stance: Śiva’s boon and Viṣṇu’s cosmic role function as complementary expressions of one sacred order.