Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 82

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

Devanagari script

प्राणेश्वरप्रिया माता महामहिषघातिनी / प्राणेश्वरी प्राणरूपा प्रधानपुरुषेश्वरी

Transliteration

prāṇeśvarapriyā mātā mahāmahiṣaghātinī / prāṇeśvarī prāṇarūpā pradhānapuruṣeśvarī

Translation

هي حبيبةُ ربِّ الحياة، الأمُّ الكونية، قاتلةُ مهيشا—شيطانِ الجاموس العظيم. هي سيّدةُ البرانا، وهي عينُ صورةِ النَّفَسِ الحيوي، والسيدةُ العليا على البرادهانا (بركريتي) والبوروشا.

Word by Word

• prāṇa-īśvara-priyā: beloved of Prāṇeśvara
• prāṇa-īśvara-priyā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + priyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन; ‘प्राणेश्वरस्य प्रिया’ (beloved of the lord of life)

• mātā: mother
• mātā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन

• mahā-mahiṣa-ghātinī: slayer of the great buffalo
• mahā-mahiṣa-ghātinī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + mahiṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + ghātinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन; ‘महामहिषं घातयति’—घातिनी (slayer)

• prāṇa-īśvarī: sovereign of life-breaths
• prāṇa-īśvarī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन; ‘प्राणानाम् ईश्वरी’ (mistress of vital breaths)

• prāṇa-rūpā: having the form of prāṇa
• prāṇa-rūpā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन; ‘प्राणरूपा’ (having the form of prāṇa)

• pradhāna-puruṣa-īśvarī: sovereign over Pradhāna and Puruṣa
• pradhāna-puruṣa-īśvarī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pradhāna (प्रातिपदिक) + puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन; ‘प्रधानस्य पुरुषस्य च ईश्वरी’ (lady of Pradhāna and Puruṣa)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) teaching within the Ishvara Gita framework (Devi praised as the supreme Shakti)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Devi (Shakti)
• Mahishasura (implied as Mahamahiṣa)
• Pradhana (Prakriti)
• Purusha
• Prana

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling the Goddess the ruler of both Pradhāna (Prakṛti) and Puruṣa, the verse points to a supreme principle that transcends and governs both matter and consciousness—implying an ultimate reality in which their apparent duality is integrated under one sovereign Shakti.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes prāṇa as a divine principle (“prāṇarūpā”), supporting prāṇāyāma and prāṇa-dhāraṇā as Shaiva-Vaishnava compatible disciplines: mastering the life-breath becomes a means to steady the mind and contemplate the supreme Shakti who pervades and governs the Sāṅkhya categories.

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

By presenting the supreme Goddess as the sovereign power over cosmic principles (Pradhāna and Puruṣa) and as the inner life-force (prāṇa), the verse aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the same ultimate Shakti empowers all forms of Ishvara—whether approached through Shaiva or Vaishnava theology.