Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 50

Viṣṇu at Upamanyu’s Āśrama: Pāśupata Tapas, Darśana of Śiva, and Boons from Devī

Devanagari script

भस्मौद्धूलितसर्वाङ्गो मुण्डो वल्कलसंयुतः / जजाप रुद्रमनिशं शिवैकाहितमानसः

Transliteration

bhasmauddhūlitasarvāṅgo muṇḍo valkalasaṃyutaḥ / jajāpa rudramaniśaṃ śivaikāhitamānasaḥ

Translation

وكان جسده كله مغطّى بالرماد المقدّس (بهسما)، محلوق الرأس، لابسًا ثياب اللحاء. وبقلبٍ لا يتعلّق إلا بشيفا، كان يداوم بلا انقطاع على جَپا ترديد اسم رودرا.

Word by Word

• bhasma-uddhūlita-sarvāṅgaḥ: whose whole body was smeared with ash
• bhasma-uddhūlita-sarvāṅgaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhasman (प्रातिपदिक) + ud-dhūlita (कृदन्त) + sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); bahuvrīhi: ‘whose whole body is dusted with ash’

• muṇḍaḥ: shaven-headed/bald
• muṇḍaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: muṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• valkala-saṃyutaḥ: wearing bark garments
• valkala-saṃyutaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: valkala (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyuta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: ‘clad/associated with bark-garments’

• jajāpa: chanted/muttered
• jajāpa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (धातु)
• Form: Tinganta (तिङन्त), Liṭ (लिट्, perfect), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• rudram: Rudra (mantra/name of Rudra)
• rudram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• aniśam: unceasingly
• aniśam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aniśam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb of time (कालवाचक)

• śiva-eka-āhita-mānasaḥ: with mind fixed only on Śiva
• śiva-eka-āhita-mānasaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + eka (प्रातिपदिक) + āhita (कृदन्त) + mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); bahuvrīhi: ‘whose mind is fixed solely on Śiva’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing an ascetic/devotee; contextually within the Kurma Purana’s discourse on Shaiva observance)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Shiva
• Bhasma (sacred ash)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It implies realization through ekāgratā (one-pointed absorption): the mind placed solely in Śiva indicates an inward orientation where the seeker’s consciousness is gathered into the supreme reality symbolized by Rudra-Śiva.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Rudra-japa performed aniśam (without break) alongside ascetic discipline (bhasma, shaved head, bark-garments). The verse emphasizes sustained mantra-recitation supported by tapas and unwavering mental fixation—features aligned with Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā.

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

Though explicitly Shaiva in practice (Rudra-japa, Śiva-focused mind), the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis treats such devotion as a valid path within a unified Purāṇic theology, where sectarian forms converge in the pursuit of the one supreme.