Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20

Dakṣa-yajña-bhaṅgaḥ — Dadhīci’s Teaching and the Destruction of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice

Devanagari script

निन्दन्तो वैदिकान् मन्त्रान् सर्वभूतपतिं हरम् / अपूजयन् दक्षवाक्यं मोहिता विष्णुमायया

Transliteration

nindanto vaidikān mantrān sarvabhūtapatiṃ haram / apūjayan dakṣavākyaṃ mohitā viṣṇumāyayā

Translation

Von Viṣṇus Māyā betört, schmähten sie die vedischen Mantras und ehrten Hara, den Herrn aller Wesen, nicht; vielmehr folgten sie Dakṣas Worten und verweigerten die Verehrung.

Word by Word

• nindantaḥ: reviling
• nindantaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nind (निन्द्, धातु) + śatṛ → nindant (कृदन्त)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine nominative plural (प्रथमा बहुवचन)

• vaidikān: Vedic
• vaidikān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaidika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine accusative plural (द्वितीया बहुवचन), qualifying mantrān

• mantrān: mantras
• mantrān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine accusative plural (द्वितीया बहुवचन)

• sarva-bhūta-patim: lord of all beings
• sarva-bhūta-patim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ patiḥ’ (lord of all beings); Masculine accusative singular (द्वितीया एकवचन)

• haram: Hara (Śiva)
• haram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine accusative singular (द्वितीया एकवचन); apposition to sarva-bhūta-patim

• apūjayan: they did not honor/they dishonored
• apūjayan: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: a-√pūj (पूज्, धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष) plural (बहुवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• dakṣa-vākyam: Dakṣa’s words/command
• dakṣa-vākyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘dakṣasya vākyaṃ’ (Dakṣa’s statement); Neuter accusative singular (द्वितीया एकवचन)

• mohitāḥ: deluded
• mohitāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √muh (मुह्, धातु) + kta → mohita (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine nominative plural (प्रथमा बहुवचन) qualifying the implied subject

• viṣṇu-māyayā: by Viṣṇu’s māyā
• viṣṇu-māyayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘viṣṇoḥ māyā’ (Viṣṇu’s illusion); Feminine instrumental singular (तृतीया एकवचन)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration within the Dakṣa-yajña episode; traditionally relayed by Sūta to the sages)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Shiva (Hara)
• Daksha
• Vedic Mantras

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By attributing the lapse in dharma to māyā, the verse implies that spiritual error arises from delusion rather than from the true Self; right vision restores reverence for the divine order (Veda) and for the Lord of beings (Hara).

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse points indirectly to the yogic necessity of viveka (discernment) to overcome māyā; without inner clarity, one falls into pramāda (spiritual negligence) and violates dharma by disrespecting mantra and deity.

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

It presents a Purāṇic non-sectarian frame: Viṣṇu’s māyā operates in the world, yet the neglect is specifically toward Hara, the Lord of beings—underscoring that dishonoring Śiva is a grave error even within a Viṣṇu-centered cosmology, supporting Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.