Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 69

Virocana–Bali, Aditi’s Tapas, and the Vāmana–Trivikrama Episode

Devanagari script

एष वः कथितो विप्रा वामनस्य पराक्रमः / स देवकार्याणि सदा करोति पुरुषोत्तमः

Transliteration

eṣa vaḥ kathito viprā vāmanasya parākramaḥ / sa devakāryāṇi sadā karoti puruṣottamaḥ

Translation

هكذا، أيها البراهمة، قد رُويت لكم بسالة فامانا. إن ذلك الشخص الأسمى «بوروشوتّما» ينجز على الدوام أعمال الآلهة.

Word by Word

• eṣaḥ: this (one)
• eṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• vaḥ: of you
• vaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Genitive (षष्ठी/6) Plural (बहुवचन) [= ‘of you’] (also possible Dative/4 ‘to you’ by context; here Genitive)

• kathitaḥ: told, narrated
• kathitaḥ: Karma (कर्म/Predicate complement; ‘told’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (कथ् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (कृत्/क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• viprāḥ: O brahmins
• viprāḥ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन/8), Plural (बहुवचन)

• vāmanasya: of Vāmana
• vāmanasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāmana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• parākramaḥ: valor, prowess
• parākramaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parākrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• deva-kāryāṇi: the gods’ tasks
• deva-kāryāṇi: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Plural (बहुवचन); Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): ‘of the gods’ + ‘tasks’

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण/Time adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय)

• karoti: does, performs
• karoti: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• puruṣottamaḥ: the Supreme Person
• puruṣottamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; apposition to saḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); Karmadhāraya: ‘best (uttama) among men (puruṣa)’

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) addressing the sages (viprāḥ)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Vāmana
• Puruṣottama
• Devas

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By naming Vāmana as Puruṣottama, the verse points to one Supreme reality that manifests powerfully in the world to uphold dharma—suggesting the transcendent Lord as the inner sovereign behind cosmic order.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is taught in this verse; it supports the Kurma Purana’s broader yoga-ethic that contemplation of the Lord’s līlā and recognition of his constant governance (deva-kārya) stabilizes devotion, discipline, and dharmic action.

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

Though Vāmana is a Vaiṣṇava form, the emphasis is on one Puruṣottama who sustains divine functions; this aligns with the Kurma Purana’s synthetic stance where the Supreme Lord is praised across sectarian names while remaining one reality.