Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

उपशान्तं शिवं चैव व्याघ्रेश्वरमनुत्तमम् / त्रिलोचनं महातीर्थं लोलार्कं चोत्तराह्वयम्

Transliteration

upaśāntaṃ śivaṃ caiva vyāghreśvaramanuttamam / trilocanaṃ mahātīrthaṃ lolārkaṃ cottarāhvayam

Translation

اُپَشانت اور شِو (نام کے تیرتھ)، بے مثال ویاگھریشور؛ ‘تریلوچن’ نام کا مہاتیرتھ؛ اور لولارک جو ‘اُتّر’ کے نام سے بھی معروف ہے۔

Word by Word

• उपशान्तम्: calmed, pacified (name: Upaśānta)
• उपशान्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप-शान्त (प्रातिपदिक; उप + शान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular neuter; विशेषण

• शिवम्: Śiva
• शिवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular masculine

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (particle)

• व्याघ्रेश्वरम्: Vyāghreśvara (Lord of the tiger; tīrtha/Śiva-name)
• व्याघ्रेश्वरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याघ्र-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; व्याघ्र + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular masculine

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular masculine; विशेषण

• त्रिलोचनम्: Trilocana (three-eyed; Śiva)
• त्रिलोचनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि-लोचन (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + लोचन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular masculine; (शिवनाम)

• महातीर्थम्: great tīrtha
• महातीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; महा + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular neuter

• लोलार्कम्: Lolārka (tīrtha/name)
• लोलार्कम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोल-अर्क (प्रातिपदिक; लोल + अर्क)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular masculine

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

• उत्तराह्वयम्: called ‘Uttara’ / having the name Uttara
• उत्तराह्वयम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर-आह्वय (प्रातिपदिक; उत्तर + आह्वय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular masculine; विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) recounting the Kurma Purana’s tīrtha-māhātmya listing

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vyaghresvara
• Trilocana
• Lolarka
• Tirtha

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by naming Śiva-tīrthas and Śiva-lingas, the verse frames the Supreme as accessible through sacred loci where the one Reality is revered as Śiva—supporting the Purana’s tendency to treat the highest principle as worship-worthy in multiple theistic forms.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is taught in this line; its practice-oriented emphasis is pilgrimage and tīrtha-sevā—ritual purity, japa, and devotion at great tīrthas—often presented in the Kurma Purana as supportive disciplines that prepare the mind for higher yoga (including Pāśupata-oriented devotion and contemplation).

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

By embedding Śaiva sacred geography within a Vaiṣṇava Purana framework, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: the same Supreme is honored through Śiva-names and Śiva-sites while remaining consistent with the text’s broader Hari–Hara non-contradiction.