Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 106

Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī

Devanagari script

आगम्य तीर्थप्रवरे स्नानं कृत्वा विधानतः / तर्पयित्वा पितॄन् देवान् मुच्यते ब्रह्महत्यया

Transliteration

āgamya tīrthapravare snānaṃ kṛtvā vidhānataḥ / tarpayitvā pitṝn devān mucyate brahmahatyayā

Translation

Đến một thánh địa tối thắng, tắm gội đúng theo nghi pháp, rồi dâng lễ tārpaṇa cho tổ tiên và chư thiên, người ấy được giải thoát ngay cả khỏi tội brahma-hatyā (sát hại một bà-la-môn).

Word by Word

• आगम्य: having come
• आगम्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + आ- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• तीर्थप्रवरे: in the best sacred ford/place
• तीर्थप्रवरे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + प्रवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तीर्थस्य प्रवरः), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग (प्रवर as m.; here loc. sg. agreeing with implied स्थान), सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव

• विधानतः: according to prescription
• विधानतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधान (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), तसिल्-प्रत्ययार्थ: 'according to rule'

• तर्पयित्वा: having satisfied (offered libations to)
• तर्पयित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप्/तर्प् (धातु, causative तर्पय-)
• Form: णिच्-प्रत्ययान्त causative base + क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययभाव

• पितॄन्: the ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन

• देवान्: the gods
• देवान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• ब्रह्महत्यया: from the sin of brahmin-slaying
• ब्रह्महत्यया: Hetu/Apadana (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + हत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्मणः हत्या), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; हेतु/निमित्त (by/from)

Speaker

Traditional Purāṇic narration (instructional voice within the Kurma Purana’s tīrtha/prāyaścitta teaching context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Devas
• Tīrtha

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it emphasizes ritual purification and moral repair (prāyaścitta) as preparatory discipline; in the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis, such dharmic cleansing supports inner clarity needed for Self-knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Not a meditative technique per se; it highlights dharmic preliminaries—tīrtha-snāna and tarpaṇa—often treated as purificatory supports (śuddhi) that stabilize the practitioner for higher sādhana, including later Yoga and devotion.

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

This verse is dharma-focused and does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; however, its emphasis on tīrtha, devas, and ancestral rites aligns with the Kurma Purana’s integrative framework where Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva paths share common dharmic foundations.