Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 53

Sūrya-vaṃśa Genealogy and the Supremacy of Tapas: Gāyatrī-Japa, Rudra-Darśana, and Śatarudrīya Upadeśa

Devanagari script

नमो धात्रे विधात्रे च नमो वेदात्ममूर्तये / सांख्ययोगाधिगम्याय नमस्ते ज्ञानमूर्तये

Transliteration

namo dhātre vidhātre ca namo vedātmamūrtaye / sāṃkhyayogādhigamyāya namaste jñānamūrtaye

Translation

نَمَسْكارَ للـ«دھاتْرِ» الحافظِ والـ«ڤِدھاتْرِ» المُقَدِّر؛ نَمَسْكارَ لكَ يا من صورتُه هي الفيدا ذاتُها. نَمَسْكارَ لكَ يا من يُدرَكُ بالسّانكھيا واليوغا؛ نَمَسْكارَ لكَ يا مُجَسَّدَ المعرفةِ الإلهية.

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (सम्बोधन/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपातः

• धात्रे: to the sustainer/creator
• धात्रे: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• विधात्रे: to the arranger/ordainer
• विधात्रे: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः (conjunction)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (सम्बोधन/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपातः

• वेदात्ममूर्तये: to the embodiment whose essence is the Veda
• वेदात्ममूर्तये: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद + आत्मन् + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वेदः आत्मा यस्याः सा; तस्याः मूर्तिः)

• सांख्ययोगाधिगम्याय: to the one attainable through Sāṅkhya and Yoga
• सांख्ययोगाधिगम्याय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सांख्य + योग + अधिगम्य (कृदन्त, धातु √गम् + अधि, यत्/ण्यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सांख्ययोगाभ्याम् अधिगम्यः)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (सम्बोधन/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपातः

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; ‘नमः ते’ = नमस्ते

• ज्ञानमूर्तये: to the embodiment of knowledge
• ज्ञानमूर्तये: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (ज्ञानरूपा मूर्तिः)

Speaker

A devotee/sage offering a stuti (hymn) to the Supreme Lord (Hari as the all-knowing Ishvara), in the Purva-bhaga’s devotional-philosophical frame

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Dhatr (Sustainer/Creator aspect)
• Vidhatr (Ordainer/Disposer aspect)
• Veda
• Sankhya
• Yoga
• Jnana (Knowledge)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme as jñānamūrti—knowledge itself—who also appears as the sustaining and ordering power behind creation, implying an ultimate consciousness that is both immanent (as Veda/knowledge) and transcendent (as the cosmic ordainer).

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse points to two classical means of realization: Sāṅkhya (viveka—discriminative insight into puruṣa/prakṛti) and Yoga (inner discipline leading to direct apprehension of Ishvara), aligning with the Purana’s integrated jñāna–yoga devotion.

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

By praising the one Supreme as the Veda-bodied, knowledge-bodied Lord accessible through Sāṅkhya-Yoga, it supports the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where ultimate Ishvara can be approached in Shaiva or Vaishnava idioms without contradiction.