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Shloka 56

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

अथाण्डभेदान्निपपात शीतलं महाजलं तत् पुण्यकृद्भिश्चजुष्टम् / प्रवर्तते चापि सरिद्वरा तदा गङ्गेत्युक्ता ब्रह्मणा व्योमसंस्था

athāṇḍabhedānnipapāta śītalaṃ mahājalaṃ tat puṇyakṛdbhiścajuṣṭam / pravartate cāpi saridvarā tadā gaṅgetyuktā brahmaṇā vyomasaṃsthā

Dann, als das kosmische Ei aufbrach, stürzte jenes gewaltige, kühle Ozeanwasser herab—geliebt und aufgesucht von den Verdienstvollen. Da begann der erhabenste aller Flüsse zu strömen; im Himmel gegründet, wurde sie von Brahmā „Gaṅgā“ genannt.

athathen
atha:
Sambandha/Anukrama (सम्बन्ध/अनुक्रम)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootatha (अव्यय)
FormParticle/adverb (अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय)
aṇḍa-bhedātfrom the breaking of the cosmic egg
aṇḍa-bhedāt:
Apādāna (अपादान)
TypeNoun
Rootaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + bheda (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; tatpuruṣa ‘from the splitting of the egg’
nipapātafell down
nipapāta:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootni-√pat (धातु)
FormPerfect (लिट्), 3rd Person, Singular
śītalamcool
śītalam:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootśītala (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; agrees with mahājalam
mahā-jalama great mass of water
mahā-jalam:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootmahā (प्रातिपदिक) + jala (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; karmadhāraya ‘great water’
tatthat
tat:
Anuvṛtti/Pratyaya (अनुवृत्ति)
TypeNoun
Roottad (प्रातिपदिक)
FormDemonstrative pronoun; Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; refers to mahājalam
puṇya-kṛdbhiḥby the meritorious (doers of virtue)
puṇya-kṛdbhiḥ:
Karaṇa (करण)
TypeNoun
Rootpuṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛt (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural; tatpuruṣa ‘by doers of merit’
caand
ca:
Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormConjunction/particle (समुच्चयबोधक)
juṣṭamfrequented/cherished
juṣṭam:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Root√juṣ (धातु)
FormPast passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative, Singular; qualifies tat/mahājalam; ‘enjoyed/visited/approved’
pravartateflows/comes forth
pravartate:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootpra-√vṛt (धातु)
FormPresent (लट्), 3rd Person, Singular; ātmanepada
caand
ca:
Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormConjunction/particle (समुच्चयबोधक)
apialso
api:
Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootapi (अव्यय)
FormParticle (अपि—emphasis/also)
sarid-varāthe best river
sarid-varā:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootsarid (प्रातिपदिक) + vara (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; karmadhāraya ‘best of rivers’
tadāthen
tadā:
Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Roottadā (अव्यय)
FormTemporal adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)
gaṅgāGaṅgā
gaṅgā:
Saṃjñā (संज्ञा)
TypeNoun
Rootgaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; subject complement/name
itithus
iti:
Vākyārtha-marker (वाक्यार्थचिह्न)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootiti (अव्यय)
FormQuotative particle (इति)
uktāwas called
uktā:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√vac (धातु)
FormPast passive participle (क्त), Feminine, Nominative, Singular; agrees with saridvarā/gaṅgā; ‘called’
brahmaṇāby Brahmā
brahmaṇā:
Karaṇa/Agent-in-passive (करण/कर्तृ)
TypeNoun
Rootbrahman (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular
vyoma-saṃsthāsituated in the sky
vyoma-saṃsthā:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootvyoman (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsthā (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; tatpuruṣa ‘situated in the sky’ qualifying the river

Purāṇic narrator (Sūta tradition) describing the cosmic origin of the Gaṅgā

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

B
Brahmā
G
Gaṅgā

FAQs

Indirectly: it frames sacred reality as emerging from a cosmic order governed by Brahmā’s ordinance; the Gaṅgā becomes a visible sign of a higher, purifying principle that supports dharma and inner purification.

No specific technique is taught in this verse; its yoga-implication is purity (śauca) and puṇya through contact with sacred waters—supporting sādhana by preparing the body-mind for mantra, japa, and contemplative discipline emphasized elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.

This verse does not explicitly mention Shiva–Vishnu unity; it supports the Kurma Purana’s synthetic vision by presenting a shared purāṇic cosmology where divine functions (creation, naming, sanctification) cooperate in establishing tirtha-based paths of purification.