Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 46

Virocana–Bali, Aditi’s Tapas, and the Vāmana–Trivikrama Episode

Devanagari script

ततः कालेन मतिमान् बलिर्वैरोचनिः स्वयम् / यज्ञैर्यज्ञेश्वरं विष्णुमर्चयामास सर्वगम्

Transliteration

tataḥ kālena matimān balirvairocaniḥ svayam / yajñairyajñeśvaraṃ viṣṇumarcayāmāsa sarvagam

Translation

Dann, zur rechten Zeit, verehrte der weise Bali—Sohn des Virocana—den allgegenwärtigen Viṣṇu, den Herrn der Opfer (Yajñeśvara), durch heilige Opferhandlungen.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (ततः अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; kāla/krama-vācaka (temporal/sequence adverb)

• kālena: in course of time
• kālena: Kāraṇa (करण/instrument; ‘with time/after time’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (काल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instr. 3), Ekavacana

• matimān: wise/intelligent
• matimān: Karta (कर्ता; qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: matimat (मतिमत् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (Nom. 1), Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of baliḥ

• baliḥ: Bali
• baliḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bali (बलि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (Nom. 1), Ekavacana

• vairocaniḥ: Vairocani (son of Virocana)
• vairocaniḥ: Karta (कर्ता; apposition to baliḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: virocana (विरोचन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (Nom. 1), Ekavacana; patronymic (अपत्य) meaning ‘son of Virocana’

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (स्वयम् अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; ātma-vācaka (reflexive adverb)

• yajñaiḥ: with sacrifices
• yajñaiḥ: Kāraṇa (करण/instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (यज्ञ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā (Instr. 3), Bahuvacana

• yajña-īśvaram: Lord of sacrifices
• yajña-īśvaram: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (यज्ञ प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (ईश्वर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (Acc. 2), Ekavacana; samāsa: tatpuruṣa (yajñānām īśvaraḥ)

• viṣṇum: Vishnu
• viṣṇum: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (विष्णु प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (Acc. 2), Ekavacana; apposition to yajñeśvaram

• arcayāmāsa: worshipped
• arcayāmāsa: Kriyā (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √arc (अर्च् धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada; causative nuance possible in usage (‘caused worship’/‘worshipped’)

• sarva-gam: all-pervading
• sarva-gam: Karma (कर्म; qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व प्रातिपदिक) + ga (ग/गम् धातु-निष्पन्न प्रातिपदिक ‘going’)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (Acc. 2), Ekavacana; samāsa: bahuvrīhi (‘one who goes everywhere’), viśeṣaṇa of viṣṇum

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, traditionally Sūta conveying the account of the sages)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Bali
• Virocana
• Vishnu
• Yajna (sacrifice)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling Viṣṇu “sarvagam” (all-pervading), the verse points to the Supreme as present everywhere and reachable through dharmic worship—suggesting the Divine reality that pervades all beings and worlds.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse highlights karma-yoga in a Purāṇic-Vedic mode: worship through yajña (sacrificial action) offered to Yajñeśvara. In Kurma Purana’s synthesis, disciplined ritual action performed with devotion functions as a yogic means of purification leading toward higher contemplation.

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

While explicitly naming Viṣṇu as the Lord of sacrifice, the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis treats such worship as aligned with the one supreme Īśvara; thus, devotion expressed through yajña supports the non-sectarian vision where supreme divinity is approached through multiple sanctioned forms.