Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 15

Prayāga-māhātmya — The Greatness of Prayāga and the Discipline of Pilgrimage

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच शृणु राजन् महाभाग यन्मां पृच्छसि भारत् / प्रयागगमनं श्रेष्ठं नराणां पापनाशनम्

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca śṛṇu rājan mahābhāga yanmāṃ pṛcchasi bhārat / prayāgagamanaṃ śreṣṭhaṃ narāṇāṃ pāpanāśanam

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya nói: Hãy lắng nghe, hỡi đức vua—bậc đại phúc, hậu duệ Bharata—điều ngài hỏi ta. Hành hương đến Prayāga là tối thượng đối với loài người, vì có năng lực diệt trừ tội lỗi.

Word by Word

• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular; speaker name

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada: ‘said’

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular, Parasmaipada

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• mahā-bhāga: O greatly fortunate one
• mahā-bhāga: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular; karmadhāraya: ‘greatly fortunate’ (address)

• yat: what
• yat: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; relative pronoun ‘what/that which’

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Accusative (2nd), Singular; 1st person pronoun

• pṛcchasi: you ask
• pṛcchasi: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √prach (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 2nd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• bhārata: O Bhārata
• bhārata: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular; address

• prayāga-gamanam: going to Prayāga
• prayāga-gamanam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayāga (प्रातिपदिक) + gamana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘going to Prayāga’

• śreṣṭham: best
• śreṣṭham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; predicate adjective agreeing with ‘prayāga-gamanam’

• narāṇām: of men
• narāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• pāpa-nāśanam: destroyer of sins
• pāpa-nāśanam: Viśeṣya-predication (विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव/Predicate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘destroyer of sins’; predicate noun of ‘prayāga-gamanam’

Speaker

Sage Markandeya

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Markandeya
• Bharata
• Prayaga

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames dharmic purification through tīrtha-yātrā, implying that inner clarity and spiritual fitness are supported by acts that remove pāpa (sin) and cultivate purity.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific yogic technique is named here; the emphasis is on tīrtha-gamana (pilgrimage) as a purificatory discipline that traditionally complements japa, snāna (ritual bathing), vrata, and meditation undertaken at sacred confluences like Prayāga.

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

The verse itself is neutral on Shiva–Vishnu theology; it supports the Kurma Purana’s broader integrative approach by presenting tīrtha-mahātmyas (sacred geography) as universally efficacious within a shared dharmic framework honored by both Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions.