Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 190

Devī-tattva, Śakti–Śaktimān doctrine, Kāla–Māyā cosmology, and Māheśvara Yoga instruction

Devanagari script

मदोत्कटा हंसगतिः प्रचण्डा चण्डविक्रमा / वृषावेशा वियन्माता विन्ध्यपर्वतवासिनी

Transliteration

madotkaṭā haṃsagatiḥ pracaṇḍā caṇḍavikramā / vṛṣāveśā viyanmātā vindhyaparvatavāsinī

Translation

Sie ist trunken vor göttlicher Wonne und schreitet anmutig wie ein Schwan; wild und furchtgebietend, von schrecklicher Tapferkeit. Im Gewand des Stieres (Vṛṣa) gekleidet, ist sie die Mutter der Himmel und die Bewohnerin des Vindhya-Gebirges.

Word by Word

• mada-utkaṭā: fierce with exhilaration
• mada-utkaṭā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mada (प्रातिपदिक) + utkaṭā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: ‘मदेन उत्कटा’ (intoxication-fierce)

• haṃsa-gatiḥ: having the gait of a swan
• haṃsa-gatiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘हंसस्य गतिः’

• pracaṇḍā: very fierce
• pracaṇḍā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pracaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• caṇḍa-vikramā: of fierce valor
• caṇḍa-vikramā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + vikrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: ‘चण्डः विक्रमः यस्याः’

• vṛṣa-āveśā: bull-impetuous; bull-possessed
• vṛṣa-āveśā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + āveśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘वृषस्य/वृषवत् आवेशः’ (bull-like impetuosity/possession)

• viyan-mātā: mother of the sky
• viyan-mātā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viyan (प्रातिपदिक; ‘sky’) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘वियनो/वियतः माता’

• vindhya-parvata-vāsinī: dwelling on the Vindhya mountain
• vindhya-parvata-vāsinī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vindhya (प्रातिपदिक) + parvata (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsinī (प्रातिपदिक; from √vas वस् ‘to dwell’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘विन्ध्यपर्वते वसति’ (dweller in the Vindhya mountain)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) speaking as the teacher within the Ishvara Gita context, presenting a Devi-stuti aligned with Shaiva–Vaishnava theology

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Devi (Shakti)
• Vindhya
• Vṛṣa (Bull emblem)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by praising Devi as the cosmic Mother and sky-supporting power, it points to the Supreme as the all-pervading source whose śakti manifests as awe-inspiring force and graceful order—attributes that the Atman recognizes as its own ground when seen non-dually.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse functions as mantra-like stuti for bhakti-yukta dhyāna: contemplation of the Divine Power as both gentle (haṃsagati) and terrible (pracaṇḍā), integrating fearlessness and devotion—an affective support aligned with the Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-oriented interior worship.

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

With Vishnu (as Kurma) voicing a hymn to Shakti using bull-associated imagery (often Shaiva), it reinforces the Purana’s non-sectarian unity: Shiva-tattva, Vishnu-tattva, and Shakti are harmonized as one supreme reality expressed through multiple divine modes.