Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 10

Narmadā-tīrtha-māhātmya — Bhṛgu-tīrtha to Sāgara-saṅgama

Pilgrimage Circuit, Gifts, Fasting, and Imperishable Merit

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु राजेन्द्र प्राणत्यागं करोति यः / चतुर्भुजस्त्रिनेत्रश्च हरतुल्यबलो भवेत्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu rājendra prāṇatyāgaṃ karoti yaḥ / caturbhujastrinetraśca haratulyabalo bhavet

Translation

Tâu bậc Đại vương, ai xả bỏ thân mạng tại thánh độ ấy sẽ hóa thành bốn tay, ba mắt, được sức lực ngang bằng Hara (Śiva).

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (there; adverb of place)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; emphasis)

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (राज्ञां इन्द्रः = king of kings)

• प्राण-त्यागम्: giving up of life
• प्राण-त्यागम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक) + त्याग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (प्राणानां त्यागः)

• करोति: does
• करोति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun: who)

• चतुर्भुजः: four-armed
• चतुर्भुजः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक) + भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (चत्वारः भुजाः यस्य)

• त्रि-नेत्रः: three-eyed
• त्रि-नेत्रः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रीणि नेत्राणि यस्य)

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

• हर-तुल्य-बलः: having strength equal to Hara (Śiva)
• हर-तुल्य-बलः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक) + तुल्य (प्रातिपदिक) + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (हरस्य तुल्यं बलं यस्य)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Sage (narrator) addressing a king (rājendra) within a tīrtha-māhātmya discourse of the Kurma Purana

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Tirtha
• Hara (Shiva)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By promising Śiva-like marks (three eyes) and divine power through sacred death at a tīrtha, the verse points to transformation toward īśvara-sāmya—nearness/likeness to the Lord—implying that liberation is approached by aligning one’s being with the divine reality honored at the tīrtha.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse does not prescribe a technique directly; it emphasizes tīrtha-sevā and the ultimate act of surrender (prāṇa-tyāga) at a sanctified place—an extreme form of tyāga and īśvara-prapatti that resonates with Purāṇic disciplines supporting Pāśupata-leaning devotion and renunciation.

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

Even within a Vaiṣṇava Purāṇa framework, the fruit described is explicitly Śiva-like (Hara-tulya-bala, tri-netra), reflecting the Kurma Purana’s frequent Shaiva-Vaishnava harmony where devotion and merit can culminate in sharing in Śiva’s divine attributes.