Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 87

Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching

Iśvara-Gītā Prelude

Devanagari script

सर्वसङ्गान् परित्यज्य ज्ञात्वा मायामयं जगत् / अद्वैतं भावयात्मानं द्रक्ष्यसे परमेश्वरम्

Transliteration

sarvasaṅgān parityajya jñātvā māyāmayaṃ jagat / advaitaṃ bhāvayātmānaṃ drakṣyase parameśvaram

Translation

بتركِ جميع التعلّقات، ومعرفةِ أن هذا العالم مُكوَّن من المايا، تأمّلِ الذاتَ على أنها غيرُ ثنائية (أدفايتا)؛ حينئذٍ ستُبصر باراميشڤارا، الربَّ الأعلى.

Word by Word

• sarva-saṅgān: all attachments
• sarva-saṅgān: Karma (कर्म; object of ‘parityajya’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + saṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘all’ qualifying ‘attachments’)

• parityajya: having renounced
• parityajya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√tyaj (धातु) + ल्यप् (Kṛdanta)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), ‘having abandoned’

• jñātvā: having known
• jñātvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (धातु) + क्त्वा (Kṛdanta)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), ‘having known’

• māyā-mayam: made of illusion
• māyā-mayam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण; qualifier of karma)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: māyā (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे (मायया मयम्/मायायाः मयम् = ‘made of illusion’), agrees with ‘jagat’

• jagat: the world
• jagat: Karma (कर्म; object of ‘jñātvā’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• advaitam: non-dual
• advaitam: Karma (कर्म; complement/object with ‘bhāvaya’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-dvaita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; used predicatively with ‘ātmānam’

• bhāvaya: contemplate/meditate upon
• bhāvaya: Kriyā (क्रिया; main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु) + णिच् (causative) → √bhāvay
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ātmānam: the Self
• ātmānam: Karma (कर्म; object of ‘bhāvaya’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• drakṣyase: you will see
• drakṣyase: Kriyā (क्रिया; main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• parama-īśvaram: the Supreme Lord
• parama-īśvaram: Karma (कर्म; object of ‘drakṣyase’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘supreme’ qualifying ‘Lord’)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) teaching in the Ishvara Gita context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Parameshvara
• Atman
• Maya

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It teaches that the Ātman is to be realized as advaita (non-dual); by meditating on this non-dual Self, one directly realizes Parameśvara—indicating the inner identity of Self-realization and God-realization.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes vairāgya (renunciation of saṅga/attachments), viveka regarding māyā (discerning the world’s māyā-made nature), and bhāvanā/dhyāna (steady contemplation of the non-dual Ātman)—a jñāna-oriented meditative discipline aligned with the Kurma Purana’s Ishvara Gita teachings.

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

By using the title Parameśvara while teaching non-dual realization, the verse supports the Purana’s synthesis: the supreme Lord is one reality, approached through inner Ātman-knowledge beyond sectarian difference (often expressed as Shiva–Vishnu unity in the Ishvara Gita milieu).