Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 109

Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching

Iśvara-Gītā Prelude

Devanagari script

विचिन्तयामास परं शरण्यं सर्वदेहिनाम् / अनादिनिधनं देवं देवदेवं पितामहम्

Transliteration

vicintayāmāsa paraṃ śaraṇyaṃ sarvadehinām / anādinidhanaṃ devaṃ devadevaṃ pitāmaham

Translation

Er versenkte sich in die Betrachtung des höchsten Zufluchtsortes aller verkörperten Wesen — des Gottes ohne Anfang und Ende, des Gottes der Götter, des uranfänglichen Vaters (Pitāmaha).

Word by Word

• vicintayāmāsa: he contemplated
• vicintayāmāsa: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + √cint (चिन्त् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; causative nuance not intended here (denominative/10th class usage: ‘चिन्तयति’)

• param: supreme
• param: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of devam

• śaraṇyam: refuge-giving, protector
• śaraṇyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaraṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of devam; अर्थः ‘शरणं दाति’

• sarva-dehinām: of all embodied beings
• sarva-dehinām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + dehin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘सर्वेषां देहिनाम्’), षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• anādi-nidhanam: without beginning and without end
• anādi-nidhanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anādi (प्रातिपदिक) + nidhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (pair: beginningless and endless), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of devam

• devam: the god
• devam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• deva-devam: God of gods
• deva-devam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘देवानां देवः’), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; apposition to devam

• pitāmaham: the grandsire (Brahmā)
• pitāmaham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; apposition to devam

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing the seeker’s contemplation)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Supreme Lord (Para-deva)
• Devadeva
• Pitāmaha

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling the Lord “anādi-nidhana” (beginningless and endless), the verse points to the eternal, unconditioned reality that stands as the final refuge behind all embodied existence—echoing the Purāṇic identification of the Supreme with the innermost Self as the ultimate ground of being.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The key practice is contemplative recollection (vicintana/dhyāna): turning the mind toward the “paraṃ śaraṇyam,” the Supreme Refuge. This aligns with Kurma Purana’s broader discipline of God-centered meditation that culminates in surrender (śaraṇāgati) and steady devotion, foundational to later Yoga-shāstra instructions (including Pāśupata-oriented devotion and restraint).

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

Using universal epithets like “Devadeva” and “Pitāmaha” frames the Supreme as beyond sectarian limitation—language that the Kurma Purana often employs to support a Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, where the highest Lord is approached through shared attributes of sovereignty, eternality, and refuge.