Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 12

Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Mahālaya, Kedāra, Rivers and Fords, and Devadāru Forest

Akṣaya-Karma Doctrine

Devanagari script

महातीर्थमिति ख्यातं पुण्यं नारायणप्रियम् / तत्राभ्यर्च्य हृषीकेशं श्वेतद्वीपं निगच्छति

Transliteration

mahātīrthamiti khyātaṃ puṇyaṃ nārāyaṇapriyam / tatrābhyarcya hṛṣīkeśaṃ śvetadvīpaṃ nigacchati

Translation

此圣地以“摩诃圣渡”（Mahātīrtha）著称，功德圆满，为那罗延（Nārāyaṇa）所喜。若在彼处礼拜赫利希凯沙（Hṛṣīkeśa），便得往生白洲（Śvetadvīpa）。

Word by Word

• महा-तीर्थम्: great pilgrimage place
• महा-तीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (mahat tīrtham)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/इत्यर्थे निपात (quotative particle)

• ख्यातम्: is known (as)
• ख्यातम्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ख्या (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘is known/called’

• पुण्यम्: holy
• पुण्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• नारायण-प्रियम्: dear to Nārāyaṇa
• नारायण-प्रियम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (nārāyaṇasya priyam)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• अभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped
• अभ्यर्च्य: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), परस्मैपदी; ‘having worshipped’

• हृषीकेशम्: Hṛṣīkeśa (Viṣṇu)
• हृषीकेशम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृषीकेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विष्णोर्नाम (proper name of Viṣṇu)

• श्वेत-द्वीपम्: Śvetadvīpa (the White Island)
• श्वेत-द्वीपम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वेत (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (śvetaḥ dvīpaḥ)

• निगच्छति: goes/attains
• निगच्छति: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Suta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-mahatmya to the sages), within the broader Purva-bhaga narration

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Narayana
• Hrishikesha
• Mahatirtha
• Shvetadvipa

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly, by presenting Nārāyaṇa/Hṛṣīkeśa as the supreme refuge and goal: devotion and worship culminate in attaining His divine realm (Śvetadvīpa), implying liberation through God-centered realization rather than mere ritual.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes bhakti-yoga expressed as abhyarcana (reverent worship) at a tīrtha; in Purāṇic practice this includes purity, mantra, offerings, and concentrated remembrance—outer pilgrimage supporting inner single-pointed contemplation.

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

Though explicitly Vaiṣṇava in naming Nārāyaṇa and Hṛṣīkeśa, it fits the Kurma Purana’s synthetic theology where tīrtha, worship, and liberation are shared frameworks across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths—different names, one supreme goal.