Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 5

Kapardeśvara at Piśācamocana — Liberation of a Piśāca and the Brahmapāra Hymn

Devanagari script

तत्र सा भीतहृदया कृत्वा कृत्वा प्रदक्षिणम् / धावमाना सुसंभ्रान्ता व्याघ्रस्य वशमागता

Transliteration

tatra sā bhītahṛdayā kṛtvā kṛtvā pradakṣiṇam / dhāvamānā susaṃbhrāntā vyāghrasya vaśamāgatā

Translation

هناك، وقد استولى الخوف على قلبها، أخذت تطوف مرارًا (برادكشِنا)؛ ثم ركضت في اضطرابٍ شديد، فوقعت تحت سلطان النمر.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• सा: she
• सा: कर्ता (Karta)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भीतहृदया: with a frightened heart
• भीतहृदया: कर्ता (Karta)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीत-हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of सा)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: क्रियाविशेषण (Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), ‘having done’

• कृत्वा: again having done
• कृत्वा: क्रियाविशेषण (Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis)

• प्रदक्षिणम्: circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिणम्: कर्म (Karma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म (object of कृत्वा)

• धावमाना: running
• धावमाना: कर्ता (Karta)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धाव् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘running’

• सुसंभ्रान्ता: greatly bewildered
• सुसंभ्रान्ता: कर्ता (Karta)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-संभ्रान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपसर्ग/उपपद-पूर्वक विशेषण (very agitated)

• व्याघ्रस्य: of the tiger
• व्याघ्रस्य: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• वशम्: into the control
• वशम्: कर्म (Karma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; गत्यर्थक-क्रियायाः कर्म (object with आगता)

• आगता: came (fell)
• आगता: कर्ता (Karta)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having come/come to’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator continuing the story as transmitted by sages)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• vyāghra (tiger)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it shows how fear and mental agitation (saṃbhrama) overpower a person; in Kurma Purana’s broader teaching, such disturbed mind-states veil steady self-knowledge and make one vulnerable to external forces.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) appears as a devotional act, but the verse stresses that without inner steadiness it can devolve into panic; in Yoga-shāstra terms, a mind lacking dhairya (steadiness) and smṛti (presence) is easily driven by bhaya (fear).

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

This particular verse is a narrative description and does not explicitly address Shiva–Vishnu unity; the Kurma Purana’s synthesis is typically articulated in its doctrinal sections (notably the Upari-bhāga’s Ishvara Gita), whereas here the focus is on human vulnerability under delusion.