Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 17

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

Devanagari script

सर्वेषामपि चैतेषां तीर्थानां परमा पुरी / नाम्नावाराणसी दिव्या कोटिकोट्ययुताधिका

Transliteration

sarveṣāmapi caiteṣāṃ tīrthānāṃ paramā purī / nāmnāvārāṇasī divyā koṭikoṭyayutādhikā

Translation

ان سب تیرتھوں میں سب سے اعلیٰ اور نورانی مقدّس نگری ‘وارانسی’ (کاشی) ہے۔ اس کا ثواب کروڑوں پر کروڑوں سے بھی بڑھ کر ہے۔

Word by Word

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचन (Gen pl)

• अपि: also; even
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (particle: also/even)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• एतेषाम्: of these
• एतेषाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी बहुवचन (Gen pl), सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• तीर्थानाम्: of the sacred places
• तीर्थानाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचन (Gen pl)

• परमा: supreme
• परमा: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom sg), विशेषण

• पुरी: city
• पुरी: Karta (कर्ता/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom sg)

• नाम्ना: by name
• नाम्ना: Karana (करण—means: by name)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन (Instr sg)

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom sg), विशेष्य (apposition to पुरī)

• दिव्या: divine
• दिव्या: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom sg), विशेषण

• कोटिकोट्ययुताधिका: exceeding crores of crores and ten-thousands
• कोटिकोट्ययुताधिका: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: koṭi-koṭi-ayuta-adhikā (प्रातिपदिक; कोटि + कोटि + अयुत + अधिका)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom sg), संख्याविशेषण/परिमाणवाचक (quantitative epithet)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing in Purana-style dialogue on tīrtha-mahātmyā

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Varanasi
• Kashi
• Tirtha

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by exalting Kāśī as the supreme tīrtha, the verse points to a locus traditionally associated with liberation (mokṣa), implying that the highest aim is realization beyond mere ritual merit—toward the Self.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is named in this verse; it sets a tīrtha context where later Kurma Purana teachings (including Pāśupata-oriented disciplines and inner purification) are understood to bear intensified fruit when coupled with pilgrimage, śraddhā, and disciplined practice.

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

By praising Vārāṇasī—classically Śiva’s city—within a Vaiṣṇava narration (Lord Kūrma), the verse reflects the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis: sacredness is shared, not sectarian, and both streams converge on mokṣa.