Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 80

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

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच किं तवापगतो मोहः प्रसन्ने वृषभध्वजे / यदाचष्ट स्वयं देवः पालयैतदतन्द्रितः

Transliteration

brahmovāca kiṃ tavāpagato mohaḥ prasanne vṛṣabhadhvaje / yadācaṣṭa svayaṃ devaḥ pālayaitadatandritaḥ

Translation

Brahmā sprach: „O Herr mit dem Banner des Stieres, ist deine Verblendung nun gewichen, da du besänftigt bist? Wie der Gott selbst verkündet hat, soll er dies unermüdlich und ohne Nachlässigkeit schützen.“

Word by Word

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (ब्रह्मन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kim: what?
• kim: Prayojana/Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• tava: of you; your
• tava: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (त्वद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वलिङ्ग

• apagataḥ: gone away
• apagataḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: apa + gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘gone away’

• mohaḥ: delusion
• mohaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: moha (मोह प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• prasanne: when (he is) pleased
• prasanne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prasanna (प्रसन्न प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; वृषभध्वजस्य विशेषणम्

• vṛṣabha-dhvaje: O bull-bannered one (Śiva)
• vṛṣabha-dhvaje: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣabha (वृषभ) + dhvaja (ध्वज प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे सप्तमी (addressed as ‘O bull-bannered one’)

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (temporal conjunction)

• ācaṣṭa: declared
• ācaṣṭa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + cakṣ (चक्ष् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘declared/said’

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable)

• devaḥ: the god (Śiva)
• devaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (देव प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• pālaya: protect; maintain
• pālaya: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pāl (पाल् धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (एतद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• atandritaḥ: unwearied; vigilant
• atandritaḥ: Karta-anvaya (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a + tandrita (तन्द्रित प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘without negligence’ (unwearied)

Speaker

Brahma

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Shiva (Vrishabhadhvaja)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it frames dharma as grounded in the Lord’s own instruction (“svayaṃ devaḥ”), implying a supreme, authoritative source behind right order rather than mere personal opinion.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes atandritā—unceasing vigilance—which aligns with yogic discipline (abhyāsa) and careful guarding of one’s vow and duty, a recurring ethical foundation for Pāśupata-leaning practice in the Kūrma tradition.

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

It presents Śiva (the Bull-bannered) as responsive to divine purpose and injunction, fitting the Kūrma Purāṇa’s harmonizing tone where supreme authority and dharma are upheld without sectarian hostility.