Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 5

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

Devanagari script

गयातीर्थं महातीर्थं तीर्थं चैव महानदी / नारायणं परं तीर्थं वायुतीर्थमनुत्तमम्

Transliteration

gayātīrthaṃ mahātīrthaṃ tīrthaṃ caiva mahānadī / nārāyaṇaṃ paraṃ tīrthaṃ vāyutīrthamanuttamam

Translation

伽耶圣渡（Gayā-tīrtha）乃大圣地；摩诃那底河亦为清净圣渡。那罗延那（Nārāyaṇa）是至上圣渡，而风神圣渡（Vāyu-tīrtha）无与伦比。

Word by Word

• गयातीर्थम्: the Gayā pilgrimage-place
• गयातीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गयायाः तीर्थम्)

• महातीर्थम्: the great tīrtha
• महातीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महच्च तत् तीर्थम्)

• तीर्थम्: a pilgrimage-place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• महानदी: the great river
• महानदी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महती सा नदी)

• नारायणम्: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थम् इति विशेष्यस्य)

• तीर्थम्: tīrtha
• तीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वायुतीर्थम्: the Vāyu tīrtha
• वायुतीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वायोः तीर्थम्)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वायुतीर्थम्/तीर्थम्)

Speaker

Sūta (narrating Purāṇic discourse to the sages, presenting the tīrtha-mahātmya section)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Mahānadī
• Nārāyaṇa
• Vāyu

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling Nārāyaṇa the “supreme tīrtha,” the verse shifts holiness from mere geography to the Supreme Lord as the highest purifier—implying that ultimate purification and liberation are grounded in the divine Reality itself, not only in external pilgrimage.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is prescribed in this verse, but it supports a classic Purāṇic discipline: tīrtha-sevā (pilgrimage undertaken with vows, purity, and remembrance of the Lord). In Kurma Purana’s broader spiritual frame, such purification prepares the mind for higher Yoga—japa, dhyāna, and devotion aligned with dharma.

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

While Shiva is not named here, the Kurma Purana’s synthesis is reflected in treating tīrtha as a shared sacred economy: holy places and deities function together as means of purification, with Nārāyaṇa explicitly affirmed as the highest tīrtha—compatible with the text’s broader non-sectarian reverence across Shaiva and Vaishnava registers.