Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 188

Devī-tattva, Śakti–Śaktimān doctrine, Kāla–Māyā cosmology, and Māheśvara Yoga instruction

Devanagari script

सुधामा कर्मकरणी युगान्तदहनात्मिका / संकर्षणी जगद्धात्री कामयोनिः किरीटिनी

Transliteration

sudhāmā karmakaraṇī yugāntadahanātmikā / saṃkarṣaṇī jagaddhātrī kāmayoniḥ kirīṭinī

Translation

هي سُدْهامَا (Sudhāmā)، صانعة الأعمال والقوة الكامنة وراء الفعل؛ وهي جوهر الحريق عند نهاية العصر. وهي سَمْكَرْشَنِي (Saṃkarṣaṇī)، قوة الجذب والضمّ؛ حاملة العوالم؛ منبع الرغبة؛ والملكة المتوَّجة.

Word by Word

• sudhāmā: she of nectar/sweet radiance
• sudhāmā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sudhāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; -मन्-प्रातिपदिक (नाम)

• karma-karaṇī: doer/agent of action
• karma-karaṇī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karma (प्रातिपदिक) + karaṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘कर्म करोति’ / ‘कर्मणि करणम्’ (doer/instrument of action)

• yuga-anta-dahana-ātmikā: whose nature is the conflagration at the end of an age
• yuga-anta-dahana-ātmikā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक) + dahana (प्रातिपदिक) + ātmikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः: ‘युगान्ते दहनं यस्याः आत्मा/स्वरूपम्’

• saṃkarṣaṇī: the attractor/drawer-in
• saṃkarṣaṇī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkarṣaṇī (प्रातिपदिक; from सं+√कृष् ‘to draw/attract’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम/विशेषण-प्रयोग

• jagat-dhātrī: supporter of the world
• jagat-dhātrī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + dhātrī (प्रातिपदिक; from √dhṛ धृ ‘to hold’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘जगतः धात्री’ (supporter of the world)

• kāma-yoniḥ: source/womb of desire
• kāma-yoniḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘कामस्य योनिः’ (source of desire)

• kirīṭinī: crowned; wearing a diadem
• kirīṭinī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kirīṭinī (प्रातिपदिक; kirīṭa ‘crown’ + -inī)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (possessive -inī)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) teaching in the Ishvara Gita context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Characters & Entities

• Ishvara Gita
• Kurma (Vishnu)
• Shakti (Divine Power)
• Saṃkarṣaṇa (withdrawal principle)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By describing one Divine Power as both the force behind karma and the dissolving fire of pralaya, the verse points to a single all-pervading Reality that manifests as creation, maintenance, and withdrawal—functions that ultimately rest in the Supreme.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports Ishvara-centered meditation (īśvara-dhyāna) by giving functional divine epithets—action, withdrawal (saṃkarṣaṇa), and dissolution—so the practitioner can contemplate the Lord/Śakti as the inner power governing karma and the yama-niyama oriented path of Pāśupata-style discipline.

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

It uses shared theological language of cosmic functions—sustaining, withdrawing, and dissolving—commonly attributed across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava frames, reinforcing the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where one Supreme is praised through multiple names and powers.