Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 35

Naimittika-pralaya and the Theology of Kāla: Seven Suns, Saṃvartaka Fire, Flood, and Varāha Kalpa

Devanagari script

केचिन्नीलोत्पलश्यामाः केचित् कुमुदसन्निभाः / धूम्रवर्णास्तथा केचित् केचित् पीताः पयोधराः

Transliteration

kecinnīlotpalaśyāmāḥ kecit kumudasannibhāḥ / dhūmravarṇāstathā kecit kecit pītāḥ payodharāḥ

Translation

কিছুমান (মেঘ) নীলউৎপলৰ দৰে শ্যাম, কিছুমান কুমুদফুলৰ দৰে ধৱল; কিছুমান ধূম্ৰবৰ্ণ, আৰু কিছুমানৰ মেঘস্তন সোণালী-হালধীয়া বৰ্ণৰ আছিল।

Word by Word

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (some)

• नीलोत्पलश्यामाः: dark like blue lotuses
• नीलोत्पलश्यामाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नील + उत्पल + श्याम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (नीलोत्पलवत् श्यामाः=dark like blue lotuses)

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक

• कुमुदसन्निभाः: resembling white lotuses (kumuda)
• कुमुदसन्निभाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुमुद + सन्निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; उपमान-तत्पुरुषः (कुमुदस्य सन्निभाः=resembling water-lilies)

• धूम्रवर्णाः: smoke-colored
• धूम्रवर्णाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धूम्र + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (धूम्रः वर्णः येषाम्)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक (likewise)

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक

• पीताः: yellow
• पीताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीत (कृदन्त; √पा/पिब्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; पयोधराः इत्यस्य विशेषण

• पयोधराः: clouds (water-bearers)
• पयोधराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पयस् + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (पयः धरन्ति इति=water-bearers)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa tradition) describing varieties of forms within creation

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shringara

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by cataloging bodily variety, it highlights that physical attributes are mutable products of prakṛti, while the Ātman is not defined by color, form, or embodiment.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No technique is taught directly; the verse supports yogic viveka (discrimination) by reminding the seeker not to identify the Self with bodily appearance—an attitude foundational to Pāśupata and other Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava syntheses in the Kurma Purana.

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

It does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; its broader purāṇic function aligns with the text’s integrative theology by treating embodied diversity as part of a single cosmic order governed by the Supreme.