Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 4

Vārāṇasī (Avimukta) Māhātmya and the Catalogue of Guhya-Tīrthas

Devanagari script

प्राजापत्यं तथा तीर्थं स्वर्गद्वारं तथैव च / जम्बुकेश्वरमित्युक्तं धर्माख्यं तीर्थमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

prājāpatyaṃ tathā tīrthaṃ svargadvāraṃ tathaiva ca / jambukeśvaramityuktaṃ dharmākhyaṃ tīrthamuttamam

Translation

此圣渡名为普罗阇钵底耶（Prājāpatya），亦称天门（Svargadvāra）——“通往天界之门”。又被称作瞻布迦自在天（Jambukeśvara），乃以“法”（Dharma）之名著称的至上圣渡。

Word by Word

• prājāpatyam: Prājāpatya
• prājāpatyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prājāpatya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण/तीर्थनाम (Prājāpatya)

• tathā: also
• tathā: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (also)

• tīrtham: tīrtha
• tīrtham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• svargadvāram: Svarga-dvāra (gate to heaven)
• svargadvāram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga + dvāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; तीर्थनाम

• tathā: also
• tathā: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• jambukeśvaram: Jambukeśvara (tīrtha)
• jambukeśvaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jambuka + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; तीर्थनाम

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyopasaṃhāra (वाक्योपसंहार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यर्थक (quotative)

• uktam: called/said
• uktam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; (here: ‘called/said’)

• dharmākhyam: called Dharma
• dharmākhyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma + ākhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; नामवाचक विशेषण (called ‘Dharma’)

• tīrtham: tīrtha
• tīrtham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• uttamam: excellent
• uttamam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing the sages/Indradyumna in a tīrtha-māhātmya section (Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis through sacred geography).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Prajapati
• Svarga (Heaven)
• Jambukeshvara (Shiva)
• Dharma
• Tirtha

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by glorifying a tīrtha named Dharma and associating it with ‘Svargadvāra,’ the verse frames spiritual ascent as rooted in dharma and purification—supporting the Purana’s broader teaching that inner realization is aided by dharmic disciplines and sacred observances.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is listed in this line; it emphasizes tīrtha-sevā (pilgrimage, bathing, worship) as an auxiliary sādhana that purifies the mind—preparatory to higher Yoga (including Pāśupata-oriented discipline elsewhere in the Kurma Purana).

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

Vishnu (as Kurma) praises a place named Jambukeśvara (a Śaiva designation), presenting Śiva-tīrtha veneration within a Vaiṣṇava narration—typical of the Kurma Purana’s integrative, non-sectarian dharma.