Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20

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

Iśvara-Gītā Prelude

Devanagari script

माहेश्वरं तथा साम्बं सौरं सर्वार्थसंचयम् / पराशरोक्तमपरं मारीचं भार्गवाह्वयम्

Transliteration

māheśvaraṃ tathā sāmbaṃ sauraṃ sarvārthasaṃcayam / parāśaroktamaparaṃ mārīcaṃ bhārgavāhvayam

Translation

Ferner gibt es die Māheśvara-Überlieferung, die Sāmba-Überlieferung, die Saura-Überlieferung und das Sarvārtha-saṃcaya („Kompendium aller Bedeutungen“); ebenso ein weiteres Werk, das von Parāśara gesprochen wurde, die Mārīca-Überlieferung und das als Bhārgava bekannte.

Word by Word

• māheśvaram: Maheshvara Purana
• māheśvaram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māheśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• tathā: Also / So
• tathā: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb

• sāmbam: Samba Purana
• sāmbam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāmba (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• sauram: Saura Purana
• sauram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• sarvārthasaṃcayam: Collection of all goals/wealth
• sarvārthasaṃcayam: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarvārthasaṃcaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• parāśaroktam: Spoken by Parashara
• parāśaroktam: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parāśarokta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• aparam: Another
• aparam: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• mārīcam: Maricha Purana
• mārīcam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārīca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• bhārgavāhvayam: Named Bhargava
• bhārgavāhvayam: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhārgavāhvaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

Speaker

Sūta (traditional Purāṇic narrator) describing recognized textual/traditional lineages at the opening of the Kurma Purana

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara
• Sāmba
• Sūrya (Saura)
• Parāśara
• Marīci
• Bhṛgu (Bhārgava)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by cataloguing Māheśvara, Saura, and other lineages, the verse signals the Purāṇic method of approaching one supreme reality through multiple authorized traditions, a hallmark of the Kurma Purana’s integrative (Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava) theology.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific practice is taught in this verse; it sets the scriptural map by naming traditions (notably Māheśvara) that later ground teachings such as Pāśupata-oriented discipline and the Kurma Purana’s yoga-inflected instruction (especially in the Upari-bhāga’s Īśvara-gītā section).

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

By placing Māheśvara (Śiva-centered) and Saura (Sūrya-centered) traditions alongside other authoritative streams within a single Purāṇic framework, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where diverse deity-focused teachings are treated as compatible routes within dharma.