Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 32

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

Pilgrimage Circuit, Gifts, Fasting, and Imperishable Merit

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नात्वा नरो राजन् नर्मदोदधिसंगमे / त्रिगुणं चाश्वमेधस्य फलं प्राप्नोति मानवः

Transliteration

tatra snātvā naro rājan narmadodadhisaṃgame / triguṇaṃ cāśvamedhasya phalaṃ prāpnoti mānavaḥ

Translation

Tâu Đại vương, người nào tắm tại nơi hợp lưu giữa sông Narmadā và biển cả sẽ được phước quả gấp ba lần công đức của lễ tế Aśvamedha.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक अव्यय/adverb of place)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: क्रियाविशेषण (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/absolutive), स्ना-धातोः, पूर्वक्रिया

• नरः: a man
• नरः: कर्ता (Kartā/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: सम्बोधन (Sambodhana/address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• नर्मदा-उदधि-संगमे: at the confluence of the Narmadā and the ocean
• नर्मदा-उदधि-संगमे: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + उदधि (प्रातिपदिक) + संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः उदधेः संगमः)

• त्रिगुणम्: threefold
• त्रिगुणम्: कर्म (Karma/object complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रयः गुणाः यस्य)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक/conjunction)

• अश्वमेधस्य: of the Aśvamedha (horse-sacrifice)
• अश्वमेधस्य: सम्बन्ध (Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha/genitival relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: कर्म (Karma/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्राप्नोति: attains
• प्राप्नोति: क्रिया (Kriyā/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• मानवः: a human
• मानवः: कर्ता (Kartā/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नरः इत्यस्य विशेषणवत् (appositional)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the tīrtha-māhātmya within the Kurma Purana discourse to the listening sages

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā
• Udadhि (Ocean)
• Aśvamedha

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 teaches dharma through tīrtha-snāna, implying that sacred action (karma aligned with śāstra) purifies the practitioner and supports higher realization taught elsewhere in the Purāṇa.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The practice highlighted is tīrtha-snāna (ritual bathing) as a purificatory discipline; in the Kurma Purana’s broader soteriology, such purification is preparatory (śuddhi) for japa, dhyāna, and the yogic paths discussed in later doctrinal sections.

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

The verse is a tīrtha-merit statement and does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; within the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, such tīrtha observances are presented as universally efficacious supports to devotion and liberation across sectarian forms.