Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 34

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

Devanagari script

आनीलनिषधायामौ माल्यवान् गन्धमादनः / तयोर्मध्यगतो मेरुः कर्णिकाकारसंस्थितः

Transliteration

ānīlaniṣadhāyāmau mālyavān gandhamādanaḥ / tayormadhyagato meruḥ karṇikākārasaṃsthitaḥ

Translation

بين جبلي نِيلا ونِصَده تقع جبال مَالْيَفان وغَنْدَهْمادَن؛ وفي الوسط تمامًا بينهما ينتصب جبل مِيرو، قائمًا كقلب زهرة اللوتس (الكَرْنِكا).

Word by Word

• आनीलनिषधायामौ: (two) having the extent of Ānīla and Niṣadha
• आनीलनिषधायामौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आनील + निषध + आयाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; विशेषण—‘(द्वौ) आनील-निषध-आयामौ’ = having the extent of Ānīla and Niṣadha

• माल्यवान्: Mālyavān (mountain)
• माल्यवान्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माल्यवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• गन्धमादनः: Gandhamādana (mountain)
• गन्धमादनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धमादन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• तयोः: of those two
• तयोः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), द्विवचन

• मध्यगतः: situated in the middle
• मध्यगतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्य + गत (गम् धातु, क्त/कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

• मेरुः: Meru
• मेरुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• कर्णिकाकारसंस्थितः: standing like the pericarp (of a lotus)
• कर्णिकाकारसंस्थितः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्णिका + आकार + संस्थित (स्था धातु, क्त/कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषण—‘कर्णिकाकार-’ = in the form of a pericarp

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) relating the Purāṇic cosmography as taught in the Kurma Purana

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Nīla
• Niṣadha
• Mālyavān
• Gandhamādana
• Meru

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By portraying Meru as the lotus-like center, the verse uses sacred geography as a contemplative symbol: just as a stable center supports the surrounding ranges, the inner Self is the unmoving center around which experience and the worlds appear.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No direct technique is prescribed, but the imagery supports dhyāna: meditating on a centered axis (Meru) amid the surrounding manifold trains the mind toward ekāgratā (one-pointedness), a prerequisite for higher Yoga taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana (including Pāśupata-oriented discipline).

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

Indirectly: the Kurma Purana’s unified vision treats the cosmic order (Meru-centered world) as one dharmic reality upheld by the Supreme—spoken of in Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis—so the same sacred cosmos becomes the ground for devotion and liberation in both streams.