Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36

Jambūdvīpa Varṣas, Bhārata as Karmabhūmi, and the Sacred Hydro-Topography of Dharma

Devanagari script

ऋतुमाला ताम्रपर्णो पुष्पवत्युत्पलावती / मलयान्निः सृता नद्यः सर्वाः शीतजलाः स्मृताः

Transliteration

ṛtumālā tāmraparṇo puṣpavatyutpalāvatī / malayānniḥ sṛtā nadyaḥ sarvāḥ śītajalāḥ smṛtāḥ

Translation

梨图玛拉（Ṛtumālā）、檀摩罗帕尔尼（Tāmraparṇī）、普什帕瓦蒂（Puṣpavatī）与乌特帕拉瓦蒂（Utpalāvatī）——自摩罗耶山（Malaya）涌出的诸河——皆被传诵为清凉之水的河流。

Word by Word

• ṛtumālā: Ṛtumālā (river name)
• ṛtumālā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛtu (प्रातिपदिक) + mālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (ऋतूनां माला)

• tāmraparṇā: Tāmraparṇā (river name)
• tāmraparṇā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāmra (प्रातिपदिक) + parṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (ताम्रं पर्णं यस्याः)

• puṣpavatī: Puṣpavatī (river name)
• puṣpavatī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + vatī (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तद्धितान्त (मतुप्/वत्-भाव)

• utpalāvatī: Utpalāvatī (river name)
• utpalāvatī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: utpala (प्रातिपदिक) + vatī (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तद्धितान्त (मतुप्/वत्-भाव)

• malayāt: from Malaya (mountain)
• malayāt: Apadana (अपादान/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: malaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• niḥsṛtāḥ: flowed forth
• niḥsṛtāḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier of nadyaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niḥsṛta (कृदन्त; √sṛ (धातु) + nis् उपसर्ग)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त)

• nadyaḥ: rivers
• nadyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• sarvāḥ: all
• sarvāḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier of nadyaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• śītajalāḥ: having cool water
• śītajalāḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier of nadyaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śīta (प्रातिपदिक) + jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (शीतं जलं यस्याः)

• smṛtāḥ: are said/are remembered
• smṛtāḥ: Kriya (क्रिया/Predication)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛta (कृदन्त; √smṛ (धातु), क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), प्रथमा-बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे विधेय-विशेषणम् (predicative passive participle)

Speaker

Sūta (narrating the Purāṇic account to the sages, describing tīrtha-geography)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Malaya (mountain range)
• Ṛtumālā (river)
• Tāmraparṇī (river)
• Puṣpavatī (river)
• Utpalāvatī (river)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse is primarily tīrtha-geographical rather than metaphysical; indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic view that sacred landscapes—rivers and mountains—serve as aids for purification and inward recollection that culminate in knowledge of the Self.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit yoga technique is taught in this line; the implied practice is tīrtha-sevā—bathing, vows, and disciplined conduct at cool, pure rivers—used in the Kurma Purana as preparatory purification (śuddhi) supportive of mantra, dhyāna, and Pāśupata-oriented devotion.

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

The verse does not directly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; within the Kurma Purana’s Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis, such tīrtha descriptions function as shared sacred geography where devotion to either deity and disciplined dharma are treated as mutually supportive paths.