Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 18

Meru-Topography: Cities of Brahmā and the Dikpālas; Descent of Gaṅgā; Varṣa-Lotus and Boundary Mountains

Devanagari script

तत्र तं निरृतिं देवं राक्षसाः पर्युपासते / गच्छन्ति तां धर्मरता ये वै तामसवृत्तयः

Transliteration

tatra taṃ nirṛtiṃ devaṃ rākṣasāḥ paryupāsate / gacchanti tāṃ dharmaratā ye vai tāmasavṛttayaḥ

Translation

هناك يعبد الرّاكشَسَة الإلهة نِرْرِتي عبادةً لائقة؛ والذين يلتزمون بواجبهم (المظلم) الخاص—أهل الطبع التامَسي (tamas)—يمضون إلى مملكتها.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (referring to Nirṛti)

• निरृतिम्: Nirṛti
• निरृतिम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निरृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; देवतानाम (deity-name)

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; apposition to nirṛtim

• राक्षसाः: the rākṣasas
• राक्षसाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पर्युपासते: worship/attend upon
• पर्युपासते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-उप-आस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• गच्छन्ति: go
• गच्छन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• ताम्: to that (city)
• ताम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; refers to purī (Rakṣovatī)

• धर्मरताः: devoted to dharma
• धर्मरताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म-रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (धर्मे रतः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ye)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; emphasis/indeed)

• तामसवृत्तयः: those of tamasic conduct
• तामसवृत्तयः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तामस-वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय समास (तामसी वृत्तिः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; बहुवचनान्त ‘-यः’ (vṛttayaḥ)

Speaker

Sūta (traditional Purāṇic narrator) describing cosmography and karmic destinies to the sages

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Characters & Entities

• Nirṛti
• Rākṣasas
• Tamas
• Dharma

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it contrasts tamasic, destiny-bound conduct with higher spiritual aims; by implication, the Atman is not attained through tamas-driven life but through purification and upliftment of the guṇas taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific practice is taught in this verse; it functions as a karmic warning. In Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, tamasic conduct is countered through discipline (yama-niyama), devotion (bhakti), and yogic steadiness that elevate one toward sattva and liberating knowledge.

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

It does not directly address Shiva–Vishnu unity; it focuses on Nirṛti and tamasic destinies. In the Kurma Purana’s overall framework, such descriptions serve as moral-cosmological background against which the unified theistic yoga and devotion taught by the tradition are emphasized.