Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 57

Kapālamocana: The Cutting of Brahmā’s Fifth Head, Śiva’s Kāpālika Vow, and Purification in Vārāṇasī

Devanagari script

नित्यानन्दाय विभवे नमो ऽस्त्वानन्दमूर्तये / नमः कार्यविहीनाय विश्वप्रकृतये नमः

Transliteration

nityānandāya vibhave namo 'stvānandamūrtaye / namaḥ kāryavihīnāya viśvaprakṛtaye namaḥ

Translation

سلامٌ للربّ ذي السلطان الشامل، فرحٌ أبديّ—سجودٌ لمن كانت صورتُه عينَ الآناندا. سلامٌ لمن تجاوز كلَّ أثرٍ وكلَّ فعل؛ وسلامٌ مرةً أخرى لمن هو براكْرِتي الكون، أساسُه الكونيّ الكامن.

Word by Word

• नित्यानन्दाय: to eternal bliss
• नित्यानन्दाय: सम्प्रदान (Sampradana/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नित्य + आनन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; dative singular masculine

• विभवे: to the mighty one / to splendor
• विभवे: सम्प्रदान (Sampradana/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; dative singular masculine

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: सम्बोधन-प्रयोग (Salutation expression)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• अस्तु: let it be
• अस्तु: क्रिया (Kriya/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• आनन्दमूर्तये: to the form of bliss
• आनन्दमूर्तये: सम्प्रदान (Sampradana/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्द + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; dative singular feminine

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: सम्बोधन-प्रयोग (Salutation expression)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• कार्यविहीनाय: to the actionless one
• कार्यविहीनाय: सम्प्रदान (Sampradana/Recipient)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य + विहीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; dative singular masculine; विशेषण (adjectival use)

• विश्वप्रकृतये: to the universal Prakṛti
• विश्वप्रकृतये: सम्प्रदान (Sampradana/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व + प्रकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; dative singular feminine

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: सम्बोधन-प्रयोग (Salutation expression)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) as the taught Supreme (Ishvara) being praised within the Ishvara Gita-style discourse context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Ishvara (Supreme Lord)
• Prakriti (Cosmic Nature)
• Ananda (Bliss)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme as eternal bliss itself (ānanda), not merely a blissful experience; and as kāryavihīna—beyond produced effects—indicating a transcendent, actionless reality underlying all states.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports contemplative upāsanā: meditating on Ishvara as ānandamūrti (bliss-form) and as beyond kārya (effects), a classic Pashupata/Ishvara-Gita emphasis on withdrawing attention from changing phenomena to the unconditioned ground.

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

By praising a single Ishvara who is both transcendent (beyond effects) and immanent (ground of the universe), it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis: one Supreme Lord worshipped through multiple theistic forms without contradiction.