Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 10

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

Akṣaya-Karma Doctrine

Devanagari script

तीर्थं कनखलं पुण्यं महापातकनाशनम् / यत्र देवेन रुद्रेण यज्ञो दक्षस्य नाशितः

Transliteration

tīrthaṃ kanakhalaṃ puṇyaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam / yatra devena rudreṇa yajño dakṣasya nāśitaḥ

Translation

کنکھل ایک نہایت مقدس تیرتھ ہے، جو مہاپاتک (بڑے گناہوں) کا ناس کرنے والا ہے؛ جہاں دیو رُدر نے دَکش کے یَجْن کو برباد کیا تھا۔

Word by Word

• तीर्थम्: pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कनखलम्: Kanakhala
• कनखलम्: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कनखल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; स्थाननाम (proper place-name)

• पुण्यम्: holy/meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• महापातक-नाशनम्: destroyer of great sins
• महापातक-नाशनम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (mahāpātakānāṃ nāśanam)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक देशवाचक (relative locative adverb: ‘where’)

• देवेन: by the god
• देवेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन

• रुद्रेण: by Rudra (Śiva)
• रुद्रेण: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• यज्ञः: sacrifice
• यज्ञः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दक्षस्य: of Dakṣa
• दक्षस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• नाशितः: was destroyed
• नाशितः: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (was destroyed)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-māhātmya discourse (sage-to-sage style Purāṇic narration)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Kanakhala
• Rudra (Shiva)
• Daksha
• Yajna

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it highlights the purifying power of sacred space (tīrtha) and divine grace; the deeper Purāṇic teaching is that inner purification (adhyātma-śuddhi) mirrors outer pilgrimage, preparing one for Self-knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is taught in this verse; it supports the preparatory limb of sādhana—purification through tīrtha-sevā, śraddhā, and remembrance of Rudra’s līlā—often treated as supportive to mantra, dhyāna, and Pāśupata-oriented discipline elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.

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

By centering Rudra as the decisive divine agent at a major sacred site, it reinforces the Kurma Purana’s inclusive theology in which devotion to Śiva (Rudra) is fully orthodox and harmonized with Vaiṣṇava Purāṇic authority.